How does health vary globally, and how do environment and society shape disease and health risk?
Global patterns of health, morbidity and mortality; DALYs and the epidemiological transition; the global distribution of infectious and non-communicable disease; and the environmental and social factors influencing health and disease.
A focused answer to the AQA A-Level Geography 3.2.4 content on health and health risk, covering global patterns of health, morbidity and mortality, DALYs and the epidemiological transition, the distribution of infectious and non-communicable disease, and the environmental and social factors influencing health.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
AQA section 3.2.4 wants you to describe global patterns of health, morbidity and mortality, explain DALYs and the epidemiological transition, analyse the global distribution of infectious and non-communicable disease, and assess the environmental and social factors that shape health. The recurring theme is that social factors usually determine who suffers, even where environment sets the stage.
Global patterns of health, morbidity and mortality
Health is profoundly uneven. Wealthier countries enjoy high life expectancy, low infant mortality and a disease burden dominated by chronic conditions; poorer countries face higher mortality, more infectious disease and shorter lives. There are also marked inequalities within countries, linked to wealth, place and lifestyle.
The epidemiological transition
The distribution of disease
Global disease falls into two broad groups:
- Infectious (communicable) disease, for example malaria, a vector-borne disease whose mosquito vector needs warmth and standing water, so it is concentrated in tropical, poorer regions; its burden is driven by both climate (where it can occur) and poverty (who is exposed and untreated).
- Non-communicable disease, for example cancer and cardiovascular disease, concentrated in wealthier, ageing populations and linked to lifestyle (diet, smoking, inactivity), though rising in developing countries too.
Environmental and social factors
Disease patterns are shaped by both:
- Environmental factors: climate (vector-borne disease), air quality (respiratory disease), water quality (waterborne disease) and natural hazards.
- Social factors: poverty, sanitation, diet, housing, healthcare access, education and lifestyle, which govern exposure, vulnerability and treatment.
The judgement examiners reward is that environment sets where some diseases can occur, but social factors usually determine who actually suffers and dies, and the two interact (a malarial climate plus poverty is far worse than either alone).
Try this
Q1. Define a DALY. [2 marks]
- Cue. A Disability-Adjusted Life Year: the number of years of healthy life lost to illness, disability or early death.
Q2. Explain the epidemiological transition. [3 marks]
- Cue. As countries develop, the leading causes of death shift from infectious and parasitic diseases to non-communicable (degenerative) diseases, linked to sanitation, nutrition, ageing and lifestyle.
Q3. Explain why malaria is concentrated in tropical, poorer regions. [3 marks]
- Cue. Its mosquito vector needs a warm climate and standing water (environment), while poverty and weak healthcare leave people exposed and untreated (social).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 2019 (style)6 marksExplain how the epidemiological transition changes the pattern of disease as a country develops.Show worked answer →
A 6 mark "explain" question (AO1). The epidemiological transition describes the shift in the main causes of death as a country develops, paralleling the demographic transition.
In early stages (low development), infectious and parasitic diseases (such as malaria, cholera, tuberculosis) dominate, linked to poverty, poor sanitation and limited healthcare, with high mortality especially among children. As development brings clean water, sanitation, nutrition and medicine, infectious disease declines and life expectancy rises. In later stages, non-communicable (degenerative) diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) become the leading causes, linked to ageing populations and lifestyle.
Markers reward the shift from infectious to non-communicable disease as development proceeds, with the underlying causes (sanitation, nutrition, ageing, lifestyle). Top answers link it to rising life expectancy.
AQA 2021 (style)9 marksAssess the relative importance of environmental and social factors in explaining global patterns of disease.Show worked answer →
A 9 mark "assess" question (AO1 plus AO2): reach a judgement. Environmental factors shape some diseases strongly: climate governs vector-borne disease (malaria mosquitoes need warmth and water), and air and water quality affect respiratory and waterborne illness. Social factors, poverty, sanitation, diet, housing, healthcare access, education and lifestyle, shape vulnerability, exposure and outcomes for most diseases.
The judgement: environmental factors set where some diseases can occur, but social factors usually determine who actually suffers and dies, because they govern exposure, vulnerability and treatment; the two interact (a malarial climate plus poverty is far worse than either alone). Reward a calibrated conclusion that social factors generally dominate outcomes while environment sets the stage, with examples (malaria, non-communicable disease).
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA A-level Geography (7037) specification — AQA (2016)