11/7/19

Sex trafficking is one topic that we learned about in class that really stood out to me as a major problem. We learned that there are many types of trafficking (sex, labor, intentional servitude, and child) along with the fact that many of these victims are part of the foster care system or have been a part of it. The reason for this can be attributed to the fact that the children who are put into the foster care system sometimes feel that no one cares about them and that they are not wanted. Thus, when a trafficker shows interest in them, they immediately take the opportunity to take this attention and what seems like love while it is being offered; however, the results never end up the way that these poor children had hoped. Many traffickers find their victims through social network, home neighborhoods, or clubs. The fact that social network is the primary way of finding victims really stood out to me since so many people are now using social media, especially starting at a younger age, too.

            Although social media may be the leading cause of sex trafficking in developed countries, the reasons are quite different in developing countries. Child sex trafficking, specifically, is a very large problem. In Deanna Davy’s article “Understanding the complexities of responding to child sex trafficking in Thailand and Cambodia” (2014), she states the following: “Children, in contrast to adults, are clearly much more vulnerable and helpless against the established structures and vested interests in the sex sector, and are thus more likely to be victims of debt bondage, violence, exploitation or trafficking” (p. 794). These children do not really know what is going on when entering into these situations. The article continues to explain that some children see it necessary to enter into these affairs in order to help their family; whether it be to help with the family’s poverty or to fix some larger problem, they are just doing what they think has to be done (p. 794). It is quite sad that the children are under the impression that they need to turn themselves over to slavery in countries like Thailand and Cambodia in order to save their families. Children are not only turning themselves in but being turned over by their family members as well: “Some children are tuned over to recruiters by their families as part of an ancient practice known as debt bondage, in which children, usually girls, are sent to work for creditors until they pay off a family’s debt” (p. 794). This is the exact opposite of the situation in America and other developed countries. Instead of parents educating their children about trafficking and teaching them the warning signs on platforms where children are most susceptible, the parents are selling their children into the industry so that the family can stay on its feet and pay its debt.

            As future healthcare providers, it is important that my peers and I know how to recognize signs of sex trafficking and violence. We need to be prepared to handle and care for patients who seem like they are victims of this industry. Specifically for when we travel to Guatemala this summer, we all should be on the lookout for children and women who are maybe being forced into the sex trade. Sex and child trafficking is a growing problem in developing countries, and more initiatives need to be taken to combat this problem.

Reference:

(2013) Retrieved from https://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/10/29/new-social-workers-cambodia/ .

[Children in Cambodia] (2017). Retrieved from https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/global-culture/exposing-the-child-sex-trafficking-epidemic-in-cambodia/.

Davy, D. (2014). “Understanding the complexities of responding to child sex trafficking in Thailand and Cambodia.” International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 34(11), 793-816. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSSP-10-2013-0103/full/pdf?title=understanding-the-complexities-of-responding-to-child-sex-trafficking-in-thailand-and-cambodia.

11/5/19

One topic that I have been very curious about is the rate of obesity in America and how it compares to other developing countries. As Americans, we are constantly hearing about how the obesity rate of our nation is increasing due to the growing fast food industry. I also thought it would be interesting to compare the obesity rates of a developing country to that of the United States.

            There are multiple factors that contribute to the obesity of the citizens of the United States. In a study conducted by Charles Menifield and colleagues called “Obesity in America” (2008), Fletcher explains that “Americans are gaining weight at an alarming rate” (p. 83). This is due to multiple reasons. The article explains that the most common factors contributing to obesity in America are income rates, race, and per capita health care spending (p. 85). First we will discuss income rates. The more money a person or family as a whole makes, the more likely they are to be obese. This makes sense seeing that, if people has more money, they can spend more on food whenever they want. The next factor that affects obesity rates in America is race. The article states that “obesity rates declined as the while population in a state decreased” (p. 85). Although there could be multiple reasons that this is the case, one specific one is that different races could have different genes which break down nutrients differently, thus causing a difference in how each race gains weight. One final factor that contributes to the obesity rates in America is the per capita health care spending of each individual state. Fletcher’s study found that as a state spent more money on healthcare, the obesity rate of that state went down (p. 85). This fact also makes sense logically. If a state spends more money on healthcare and promoting it, then the state will be healthier as a whole; dietitians can be provided, and healthcare workers know how to inform their patients on how to live a healthier life.

            Now we will look at the obesity rates in Indonesia, a developing country. C. N. Rachmi states in the article “Overweight and obesity in Indonesia: prevalence and risk factors—a literature review” (2017) that “The prevalence of overweight/obesity has escalated in many developing countries which face the ‘nutrition transition’” (p. 21). This nutrition transition can be described as the transition from diets consisting of traditional foods to diets consisting of fats, sugars, and animal-source food. The article also states that “Indonesia currently has the highest prevalence rate of overweight/obesity in under five children” (p. 21). This certainly can be due to the fact that the diets of the Indonesian people are changing. Our bodies get used to the foods that we do and do not eat, so adding in new, fatty foods certainly can have an effect on weight gain and obesity rates. Rachmi explains that there is also a clear difference between gender-related obesity in Indonesia: “The prevalence of overweight/obesity in Indonesian children is higher in boys compared with girls” (p. 27). This can be explained by realizing that the Asian tradition of favoring boys over girls may still be in play (p. 27). Boys are the head of the household and do more manual labor, so they should be fed more. Similar to the United States, geographic region and economic status also play a role in obesity in Indonesia (p. 27). The more money a family has, the more obese the family members are.

            Contrary to what I originally believed, the Unites States and Indonesia have very similar factors that affect obesity rates in each respective country. Not only is obesity a current problem in these countries and many more, the problem is not getting any better, either. Each country continues to have an increasing obesity rate year after year. Healthcare providers and dietitians need to be utilized more to fix these growing rates, otherwise the health of these countries and many more will continue to diminish before our eyes.

References:

Dutta, T. (2017). Retrieved from http://www.storytrender.com/13685/indonesian-obese-boy-weighed-192-kilos-undergoes-surgery-lose-weight/.

Gann, C. (2012). Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/05/07/fat-forecast-42-of-americans-obese-by-2030.

Menifield, C. E., Doty, N., & Fletcher, A. (2008). “Obesity in America.” The ABNF Journal, 19(3), 83-88. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles_Menifield/publication /23184337 _Obesity_in_America/links/5b71eddd92851ca65057e079/Obesity-in-America.pdf.

Rachmi, C. N., & Baur, L. A. (2017). “Overweight and obesity in Indonesia: prevalence and risk factors—a literature review.” Public Health, 147, 20-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe. 2017.02.002.

William, F. (2010), Retrieved from https://www.elitereaders.com/indonesian-boy-cigarettes/.

11/2/19

I feel as if we are hearing about more and more deaths by suicide in the world today. There are multiple reasons for this in the United States; however, in developing countries, the reasons for the suicides are more tragic and evoke more feelings of sympathy for the people hearing and reading about these deaths. 75% of suicides occur among people from poor or middle-income countries. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in 15-29 year olds, and the most common forms are due to pesticide poisoning, hangings, and firearms. In third world countries, death by suicide is one of the leading causes for hospital visits. Many of these suicides are brought on due to the victim enduring violence either in the home or in the society. Many victims may not be able to reach a hospital in enough time, since many remote countries only have hospitals or healthcare facilities in one place, or they may be too scared to ask for help. Thus, even if the victim makes it to the hospital, most of the time it is too late, and nothing can be done.

Pesticides being used as a method of suicide is becoming a much more prevalent problem in developing countries. According to David Gunnell and Michael Eddleston’s article “Suicide by intentional ingestion of pesticides: a continuing tragedy in developing countries” (2003), “Most people living in rural regions of developing countries are involved in agriculture and farm small areas of land” (p. 903). Thus, these poisonous chemicals are more available to the people living there and even their children who help out with the work (p. 903). The article states strategies that could help reduce the number of suicides by ingesting pesticides. Two of the strategies that seemed the most reasonable are to “prohibit the sales of the pesticides most lethal to humans after ingestion” and to add “agents that make them unpleasant to taste/smell” (p. 906). By prohibiting the sales of the most lethal pesticides, they become less available to those searching for them. However, one disadvantage to this is that the “replacement pesticides may be less effective agriculturally” (p. 906). This could in turn add problems to food supply and other products of the crops that could make the developing country suffer even more. The idea of creating the pesticides to have a worse taste or smell also makes sense, but I feel that if one were really trying to end his or her life, he or she would be going through the process so quickly that he/she would not notice the taste. Although there may not be any effects on society and their well-being by increasing the amount of ‘bad tasting or smelling’ agents to the pesticides, the “costs to industry” would be greatly impacted (p. 906). It is much more expensive to change up the formula for something that is already being mass produced, and this new expense could have negative effects on the country.

I chose to write about this topic because I found it very interesting that the ingestion of pesticides was among one of the top methods of suicide in developing countries. Although there are many ideas as to how this problem can be prevented, few have been acted upon due to the fact that there are so many disadvantages present. However, I believe that this is something that should be looked into along with the reasons behind these suicides so that the mortality and morbidity numbers can being to decrease again.

Reference:

Brazeau, M. (2015). Retrieved from http://fafdl.org/blog/2015/03/06/focus-on-pesticides-is-a-distraction-from-major-eco-impacts/.

Gunnell D. & Eddleston M. (2003). “Suicide by intentional ingestion of pesticides: a continuing tragedy in developing countries.” Oxford Academic, 32(6), 902-909. https://doi.org/10.10 93/ije/dyg307

10/30/19

Diarrheal diseases are not usually thought to be like threatening when they are talked about in the United States. However, in developing countries, diarrheal diseases are among the top leading causes of death for children under the age of two. In fact, children under the age of five develop 2-3 diarrheal diseases a year. These diseases can be so harmful to children due to the substantial amount of dehydration that occurs when they are sick. The mothers of these sick children do not understand that their children need water in order to combat the water loss that is occurring from the disease; thus, the children become overly dehydrated, and in severe cases, die.

            While there is currently no standard treatment for diarrheal diseases, there has been some discussion as to whether or not a vaccine to prevent diarrheal diseases would be realistic or beneficial to these developing countries. In the article “Considerations for development of whole cell bacterial vaccines to prevent diarrheal diseases in children in developing countries” written by Richard I. Walker (2005), Walker explains that many of conditions leading up to the contraction of diarrheal diseases are due to the fact that, in these developing countries, there are “poor sanitary conditions, unsatisfactory traditional practices concerning waste disposal and poor personal hygiene” (p. 3370). However, Walker continues to state that these conditions would be extremely hard to completely eradicate in the developing countries, so another method of prevention would be more beneficial, such as a vaccine to prevent the diseases (p. 3370). Viruses are the leading cause of the diarrheal diseases that are affecting the people of developing countries. The article explains that “vaccines against these agents offer a potentially effective control measure against these diseases” (p. 3369).

The creation of these vaccines to fight diarrheal diseases would have a major impact on the health and livelihood of many people in developing countries. However, even if the vaccines were created, there are some factors that would have to be taken into account before the vaccines could be considered completely effective. First, once the vaccines are created, there needs to be a way that they can be administered in the affected countries. Whether it be by volunteers or the physicians in the country, the vaccines will not be of any help unless there is a way that they can be distributed. Second, a large portion of the people in the developing countries would need to receive the vaccine in order for it to be effective. A term called herd immunity can be used to describe why this is effective. Each microorganism requires a certain number of susceptible individuals in a population (herd) to maintain the chain of transmission. With enough immune individuals, the microbe would not be able to spread; this collective immunity through mass immunization confers indirect protection on the nonimmune members. This seems like it would be a very simple way to keep everyone free of diarrheal disease: all (or most) receive the vaccination, and everyone is safe, even those who did not receive it. However, religious practices or beliefs could stop certain members of society or a society as a whole from receiving the vaccination. If this were to occur, then the vaccine would not be helpful at all, and the country would be back to where it started: children would keep dying from diarrheal diseases. All of these factors must be considered in order to determine whether or not the creation of a vaccine to prevent diarrheal diseases in developing countries would really be beneficial.

References:

Mukwazhi, T. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34045311/ns/health-infectious_diseases/t/biggest-child-killers-pneumonia-diarrhea/#.XceQcldKg2w .

Walker, R. I. (2005). “Considerations for development of whole cell bacterial vaccines to prevent diarrheal diseases in children in developing countries.” Vaccine 23(26), 3369-3385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2004.12.029

I never considered myself to be one to write a blog. Although this blog is not completely about myself or my personal experiences, it gives a little bit of insight into my thoughts about global health problems. I am taking this Global Health class so that I can travel to Guatemala with my fellow peers this coming summer. I have never taken a class like this before, but it is by far my favorite and one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken. Here is what I found . . .