Health and Disease Trends in Low Income Economies: Can We Escape the Double Burden of Disease?

Abstract

Demographic transitions can explain public health phenomena and predict the types of health problems countries will experience. Developing countries are suffering from infectious diseases which kill a disproportionate number of children, but at the same time, they are beginning to suffer from the chronic, lifestyle diseases of more developed countries. This double burden of disease maintains the need for a high birth rate due to infant mortality, but also reduces the number of productive workers to care for the large number of dependents. The challenge is to find a way for Stage II nations to escape this demographic and public health phenomenon that plunges them into poverty.
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