SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT A SOCIAL PERSPECTIVE

• Beverly Andrews
• Biostatistician
• Caribbean Epidemiology Centre
• Epidemiology Division

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DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS
• PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
• SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

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SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• POPULATION
• EDUCATION
• HEALTH
• DEMOCRATIZATION AND GOVERNANCE

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HEALTH ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• VISION FOR HEALTH
• More than the absence of disease
• Includes mental, spiritual and emotional
• health components .
• Encompasses the physical and social
• environment as well as the individuals genetic
  makeup and lifestyle

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IMPACT OF HEALTH ON DEVELOPMENT

• Productivity Losses
• Burden of disease
• Reduction in life expectancy
• Allocation of financial resources to prevention
  and control of diseases
• Travellers Health and Tourism (e.g.SARS)

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REGIONAL PRIORITIES FOR HEALTH

• HEALTH SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
• HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
• FAMILY HEALTH
• FOOD AND NUTRITION
• CHRONIC NON COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
• MENTAL HEALTH
• ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

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MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• GOAL 1 ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER
• GOAL 2 ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION
• GOAL 3 PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER
  WOMEN
• GOAL 4 REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY
• GOAL 5 IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
• GOAL 6 COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER
  DISEASES
• GOAL 7 ENSURE EVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
• GOAL 8 DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR
• DEVELOPMENT

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS RELATED TO
HEALTH

• UNDER 5 MORTALITY RATE
• INFANT MORTALITY RATE
• MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO
• PREVALANCE AND MORTALITY RATES RELATED TO
  HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND TB
• PROPORTION OF 1 YEARS OLD CHILDREN IMMUNISED
  AGAINST MEASLES
• HIV PREVALENCE AMONG 15-24 YEAR OLD PREGNANT WOMEN

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SOURCES OF SUSTAINABLE HEALTH INDICATORS

• HOSPITAL MEDICAL RECORDS
• POPULATION HEALTH SURVEYS
• CENSUSES
• LEGAL SOURCES BIRTH AND DEATH CERTIFICATES
• EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SURVEYS

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CHALLENGES WITH RESPECT TO GENERATING HEALTH DATA

• Data collection instruments not standardized and
  comparable
• Data collection instruments not accurately
  completed e.g. death certificates
• Non standardization of coding practices in
  countries
• Non standardized definitions of health events
• Data formats for submitting data to regional
  agencies are not standardized.
• Datedness of data

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CHALLENGES WITH RESPECT TO GENERATING HEALTH DATA

• Under-analysis of health data by member countries
• Need for revision of data collection instruments
• Need for introduction of new data collection
  instruments
• Stigma associated with reporting diseases such as
  HIV/AIDS on death certificates

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SOME STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING DATA QUALITY
CHALLENGES

• CAPACITY BUILDING VIA TRAINING WORKSHOPS FOR
  VARIOUS TARGET AUDIENCES
• PHYSICIANS,
• CODERS,
• STATISTICIANS,
• MEDICAL RECORDS OFFICERS,
• EPIDEMIOLOGISTS

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SOME STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING DATA QUALITY
CHALLENGES

• MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF HEALTH DATA SYSTEMS
  e.g,
• vital registration systems,
• communicable disease surveillance systems,
• HIV/AIDS surveillance systems,
• health standards in hotels
• MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING OF SYSTEMS

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SOME STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING DATA QUALITY
CHALLENGES

• ELECTRONIC DISCUSSION FORUMS FOR DISCUSSION OF
  ISSUES, METHODOLOGIES, DEFINITIONS
• CARISURVNET CLEARINGHOUSE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH
  ISSUES e.g. SARS

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SOME STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING DATA QUALITY
CHALLENGES

• SOFTWARE FOR CAPTURING HEALTH DATA FOR USE IN
  COUNTRIES
• MORTBASE
• An MS-ACCESS based data entry, validation and
  analysis tool for mortality data.
• Software would allow for the calculation of
  indicators such as infant mortality

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SOME STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING DATA QUALITY
CHALLENGES

• Manuals of operations and procedures

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PRIORITY NEEDS FOR GENERATION OF DEVELOPMENT
INDICATORS

• Training programmes for physicians, statistical
  officers of health and epidemiologists
• Survey and data analysis capacity needs
  strengthening in the areas of behavioural risk
  factor surveillance.
• Building awareness among data producers about the
  importance of the data and data quality.

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PRIORITY NEEDS FOR GENERATION OF DEVELOPMENT
INDICATORS

• Data analysis skills need to be strengthened
  among statistical officers of health and
  epidemiologists.
• Emphasis to be placed on data quality monitoring.
• Need for training in data management