1. Explain how health is affected by behaviors, economics, and social structure.

Health is defined by The World Health Organization (WHO) as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO Constitution).Based on this definition there are many things to consider that may affect one’s health. Individual behaviors, economics, and social structure are some things that play a major role in one’s overall health. With respect to behavior, the Centers for Disease and Control state there are six behaviors that affect a person’s health of which most are under the individuals control and include: alcohol and drug use, smoking, injury and violence, physical activity and sexual risk.
Economics affect one’s health when it comes to affordability of preventive measures and access which are directly affected by the state of the economy. For people who are in a less affluent status, they may not be able to purchase the more nutritious option in a grocery store and will have to resort to buying enriched and over processed food products that are less expensive. These types of groceries do not provide the necessary nutrition and with prolonged consumption of these goods, can lead to adverse health effects such as obesity and diabetes.

2. Describe the three stages of medical technology development.
Scientific background and development of the idea for a product, product development and distribution, and diffusion, adoption, and utilization of new products and technology are the three stages of medical technology development. The stages of medical technology development ranges from the actual concept to acceptance and use. With the first phase, individual science research is carried out that leads to the development of an idea for a treatment type, a drug or medical device, or equipment. Research can take years before an actual product is even dreamed of. During this stage there are considerable cost involved due to the expense of research, scientist and labs included. The second stage, product development, encompasses taking the product idea from just that to implementing it into a usable product. Trial test runs are performed during this stage to test the product on its effectiveness, viability, potential side effects, and whether the product will meet legal ramifications. During this stage competition is a great concern in developing the product to ensure it will meet consumer needs and return a profit. Like the initial stage of technology development, this stage has financial and time constraints. Legal requirements also come to play during this stage making it increasingly important to have accurate and concise research done before getting to this stage. The final stage deals with gaining acceptance and determining actual demand for the product. Heavily scrutinized clinical trials are performed with the objective being finding the strengths and weaknesses of the product. The trials form a basis for gathering support for the product and help with marketing efforts to bring awareness to the product and optimistically new customers.
3. Describe the major trends in population demographics over the past 80 years.
Population growth in the United States can be attributed to two factors, the rate of natural increase, and the increase in population attributable to net in-migration (Williams and Torrens, 2010). Aging, longevity, and fertility are all trends and factors that affect population size and how it has changed over time. Aging amongst the population is on average increasing thus meaning more and more health services will be utilized. Longevity leads to a better quality of life and like the aging trend will cause an influx in the use of healthcare. The increase in technological advances within the health care sector with regards to reproduction will add to the increase in the population size as well, while the incidences of abortions play a part, technology has allowed other age groups outside of the normal child bearing age to have the capability of giving birth.
3. Describe the most important trends in mortality over the past century.
Mortality trends are indicators of the actual trends in society, from social to health services and is commonly measured by life expectancy. The overall trend in mortality over the past century has been longer life spans with an increase in chronic illnesses that makes the illnesses the focus in order to sustain life. Types of Cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and HIV/AIDS are some of the most prevalent diseases that the mortality trends point to. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the top three leading causes of death ( CDC, ), many of which are attributed to some social or economic factor. Infant and maternal mortality is also a trend that although the numbers are low with respect to the chronic illnesses are also noteworthy. Maternal mortality is rare but based on the data from the___ is higher amongst black women,26.5 deaths per 100,000 live births, than white women, 10 deaths per 100,000 live births, leading one to believe other factors attribute to the deaths outside of the procedure going wrong. According to a report ___ the maternal mortality rate in 2007 was 12.7 deaths per 100,000 live births (____). As for infant mortality there are ten leading causes of all infant deaths in the US and they accounted for 69% of infant deaths in 2007 (--). Through lifestyle changes, continued advancements in medical technologies, and scientific research the current trends leading to mortality will be decreased and thus affording individuals a better quality of life.

References

1. About HAC. (2012). Retrieved January 18,2012, from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/hac/about/definitions/en/

2. National Centers for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, (2010). Health Topics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/healthtopics/index.htm

3. Naitional Vital Statistics Report. By Jiaquan Xu, Kenneth Kochanek, Sherry Murphy, and Bvetzaida Tejada- Vera.Volume 58 Number 19. 5.20.2010

4. Williams, S.J., & Torrens, P.R. (2010). Introduction to Health Services. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.