Running head: INDIA

Comparative Health Project Submission 1: India

Marlee Anne Hopkins, Madison Lucas, and Noah Iles

University of North Georgia

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India is in the lower Midwest of Asia. According to National Geographic, "Most of India

forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides" (National Geographic).

India has continually practiced castes, where people are socially ranked. The five Indian castes

are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and untouchables. A prime example of a country

strictly keeping its traditions. India is quite different from America.

India's healthcare system truly started when it became independent from Britain in 1947.

According to International Student Insurance, "The government made health a priority in its

series of five-year plans, each of which determines state spending priorities for the coming five

years. Parliament endorsed the National Health Policy in 1983. The policy aimed at universal

health care coverage by 2000 and the program updated in 2002" (ISI). Not only were these

milestones in India's healthcare system incredible, but also making strides toward fixing the lack

of medical care in the rural parts of India. The majority of India's population lives in rural areas,

so in 2005 the launching of the National Rural Health Mission was an even more beneficial

milestone in India's history.

The World Fact-book has a wealth of informational statistics about each country. India

has a population of 1,296,834,042. It's male/ female ratio of the total population is 1.08. The

population is broken down in percentages of age groups. 0-14 years: 26.98%. 15-24 years:

17.79%. 25-54 years: 41.24%. 55-64 years: 7.6%. Sixty-five years and over: 6.39%. Urban

population is 34% of the population, and the rural population is 66% of the total population.

According to central intelligence, the percentage of GDP spent on healthcare in India's

economy is 3.9%. India has set aside a total of $208.77 to spend in the healthcare field. The

government authorized $51.81 from their funds to go to healthcare. The other $145.56 comes

from the voluntary funds they have set up for health care. India has one of the lowest funds to
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spend in the healthcare field. The United States spends more on healthcare than any other

country. In 2017, the united states spent about $3.5 trillion on healthcare, that is about 18% of

the GDP on healthcare. That is more than twice the average compared to any other country. By

2028, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, that budget will raise $2.9

trillion. Compared to India, the U.S. is better off in healthcare spending. India doesn't have a lot

of money to spend on healthcare.

Over the years, obesity rates are on the rise. In 2018 people below the age of 30 have a

percentage of 12.1%. People that are 31-40 years old have a percentage of 26.6%. People that are

41-50 years old have a rate of 34.1%. People that are 51-60 years old have a percentage of

19.7%. People that are 61-70 years old have a percentage of 5.8%. People that are 71-80 years

old have a rate of 1.7%. People that are 81-90 years old have a percentage of 0% because it is

scarce that someone lives this long in India. The total percentage of people that are obese are

males is 41.6%. The overall rate of people that are obese are females is 58.4%. This number

found from the numbers above.

The smoking rate in India is at 17.8%. In 2000, 33.8% of men and 5.7% of women

smoked. In 2010, 23.5% of men and 2.5% of women smoked. Smoking rates made a drastic turn

in an excellent way, and fewer people in India were smoking by 2010. In India, smoking was

prohibited in many places like airports, restaurants, and enclosed workplaces. Smoking is only

allowed in specific areas. This all started in 2008. In 2017, an effort to get more people in India

by increasing tax on cigarettes. According to the Tobacco Atlas, only 12.95% of deaths in India

caused by smoking. In men, over 15 about 17.3% of men smoked and 0.64% of men under the

age of 15 smoke. In women over the age of 15, about 1.4% smoked, and women under the age of
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15, about 0.33% smoke. In 2016, 5.28% of female deaths caused by smoking, and 12.95% of

males killed due to smoking.

According to the World Fact-book infant deaths given under a year old per 1,000 live

infant births in a year. A total of 36.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. The amount of male infant

mortality rate is 36.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. The amount of female rate is 39.1 deaths per

1,000 live births. India's comparison to the world is ranked number 46 in the world.

Immunizations.

There are many immunizations that you can receive in India. Bacillus Chalmette-Guerin

vaccine which is given to infants to protect them from getting T.B. or meningitis. This vaccine is

given at birth and if not at delivery within a year of being born. An Oral Polio Vaccine which

protects a child from poliomyelitis is offered to the child at birth. Then again at three more doses

are provided at 6, 10, and 14 weeks then a booster dose is given around 20 months of age.

Hepatitis B vaccine protects from the viral infection. This is given at birth, and then three more

doses are offered at 6, 10, and 14 weeks. The measles vaccine is used to protect children from

getting measles. In India, Measles is very common. The first dose is given at 9-12 months of age

and then again at the age of 5. Tetanus toxoid is a vaccine given to protect against tetanus. This

vaccine is given at 10 and 15 years old and given to pregnant women in early pregnancy, four

weeks after the first shot. Along with DPT, which is Diphtheria, Tetanus, and pertussis, which

offered at 20 months of age, and then a booster provided around the age of 5. All of these are the

most commonly seen in India.

Major infectious disease risk is very high in India. Since most people live in the very

populated areas around the river, that most people take baths in and drink from, the disease

spreads very quickly more than usual. Some of the most common diseases in India are typhoid
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fever, bacterial diarrhea, dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and rabies. There are

many more to go along with those; it's just the ones I listed are the most commonly found among

people. Children under the age of five that are underweight are 36.3% of children, and that ranks

India at number 4 compared to the whole world. India's citizens' life expectancy at birth for

males is 67.8 years of age and for females is 70.5 years of age according to the World Fact-book.

India ranks 163 out of the whole world. This ranking is not the best. In the United States, the

risk of disease is low compared to most places. The United States life expectancy at birth in

males is 77.8 years old and in females is 82.3 years old; this ranks the U.S. at 45 compared to the

world. The U.S. has a very healthy lifestyle compared to India.

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References

American Cancer Society, Inc., and Vital Strategies (2019). India | Tobacco Atlas. [online]

Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/country/india/ [Accessed 6 Sep.

2019].

Central Intelligence Agency (2019). North America: United States — The World Fact-book –

Central Intelligence Agency. [online] Cia.gov. Available at https://www.cia.gov/library/

publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html [Accessed 6 Sep. 2019].

Central Intelligence Agency (2019). South Asia: India — The World Factbook - Central

Intelligence Agency. [online] Cia.gov. Available at: https://www.cia.gov/library/

publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html [Accessed 6 Sep. 2019].

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (2019). American Health Care: Health Spending and

the Federal Budget. [online] Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Available at:

https://www.crfb.org/papers/american-health-care-health-spending-and-federal-budget

[Accessed 8 Sep. 2019].

Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (2019). State of Smoking in India | Foundation for a Smoke-

Free World. [online] Smokefreeworld.org. Available at: https://www.smokefreeworld.org

/global-smoking-landscape/country-profiles/state-smoking-India [Accessed 6 Sep. 2019].

National Health Portal (2019). Universal Immunisation Programme | National Health Portal Of

India. [online] Nhp.gov.in. Available at: https://www.nhp.gov.in/universal-immunisation-

programme_pg [Accessed 6 Sep. 2019].

OECD (2019), Health spending (indicator). doi: 10.1787/8643de7e-en (Accessed on 06

September 2019)
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Undavalli, V., Ponnaganti, S. and Narni, H. (2019). Prevalence of generalized and Abdominal

Obesity: India's big problem. [online] Ijcmph.com. Available at: https://www.ijcmph.

com/index.php/ijcmph/article/viewFile/2833/1899 [Accessed 6 Sep. 2019].