One of the up and coming viral content sharing websites is Upworthy. As the name of the website suggests, Upworthy only shares videos which are meaningful, positive and have a vision.
After my discovery a few weeks ago, I have been constantly sucked into the website's content. However this week I was delighted to see the 'All 7 Billion' series which is presented by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The series aims to focus on videos associated with Global Health and poverty.
This week, I had the pleasure of writing an article for the Copenhagen School of Global Health department blog. As you may guess by the title, it is on the topic of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in China, which is very close to my heart.
Therefore hopefully the article is as interesting to read, as it was for me to write.
To finish the mini documentary series, I will provide another health related documentary which I have watched and found particular fascinating. The topic of assisted suicide is another topic which I hope to write a review on both of the documentaries in a later date, but until then I hope you enjoy this final feature.
The topic of assisted suicide is presented by the late Sir Terry Pratchett, legendary British author and suffer of Alzhiemer's disease. The hour long documentary explores the world of those older adults who suffer from neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Motor Neurone Disease, and how they consider the idea of assisted suicide. There are many moral quandaries which both those suffering from the disease and their carers face, along with the ensuring any actions taken are within the law. However within this bleak area of human health, this documentary really delves within the reality of the disease the subsequent consequences, which due to the expanding older populations, will become and more and more common as years go by.
First of all I would like to apologise for lack of blog entry last week. Unfortunately it is the time of every student’s favourite period of the semester, examinations, and therefore my head is predominately wedged between a mountain of papers most hours of the day. However during my studies, I have gathered many more ideas for interesting blog articles in the coming weeks.
Until then, for the next two weeks, I will provide two health related documentaries which I have watched and found particular fascinating. I hope to write a review on both of the documentaries in a later date, but until then I hope you enjoy both features.
The first is a BBC documentary by Jacques Peretti, journalist and presenter for the BBC and The Guardian newspaper. The 3 part documentary titled ‘The Men Who Made Us Fat’ explores the influences and reasons to why the global diet has changed in the last 40 years. By focusing on America and the American influence on the British population, it makes for a intriguing insight from politics to processed foods to plate sizes.
When health professionals refer to Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs), they often allude to the diseases of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. However there is a disease which is often forgotten. It is a disease which is the second most common hospital admission in the UK, the fifth most common cause of death in high income countries and the sixth most common in low to middle income countries. I’m referring to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and it could be considered as the forgotten NCD in Global Health.
The average life expectancy on planet earth has risen from 47 to 69 and is expected to increase to 75 by 2025. Subsequently we will see a rise in the world population from 7.1 billion to 9.6 billion by 2050. This is due to a host of different factors ranging from less child mortalities all the way to medical technologies preventing death in older adults. This is where my interest lies. Death is a topic which we all will experience at some point in the duration of our lives. It may be today, it may be tomorrow, hopefully long in the future when we are content with our live’s achievements. However as we become older, our human body naturally begins to decline in function. Therefore the question I will ask is with an ever growing older global population, how do we maintain the body in a sustainable manner and quality of life is ensured ?
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is not a glamorous topic. The meaning of mutilation involves inflicting a violent and disfiguring injury on an item. In this case, it is the female genitals, an area which is synonymous with femininity and human life. Therefore the concept of gravely damaging this area, sends a shiver down the down spine of most people from developed countries. However in some societies in developing countries, the perception of FGM is very different and is embedded in cultural and religious ties.
Physical inactivity is often sold as one of the big contributing factors to non communicable diseases (NCD’s) such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers. Physical activity has a positive physiological effect on the body by lowering the risk factors for these NCD’s, along with positive psycho-social implications for the individual. However, does the lifestyle choice of being physical active really have a large bearing on developing NCD’s or should we be focussing on a holistic approach towards combating this global health challenge ?
By having the pleasure of living in Copenhagen, a city with 300km of bike lanes, I am one of the 52% of ‘Copenhageners’ who commute daily by bicycle. The cycling infrastructure is staggeringly impressive, where cyclists have their own traffic signals, there are angled bins at the side of roads, and people handing out free newspapers to passing cyclists. I was also impressed by the fact that it is socially acceptable for all ages and social backgrounds to cycle every day as it is the cheapest and quickest form of transport.
