These slides contain the lecture content for Week 2.

1. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Week 2 Lecture
Instructor: Gina Crosley-Corcoran, MPH
PBH 715 – Introduction to Social &
Behavioral Sciences

2. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Historical Perspectives on
Population & Disease

3. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Population Dynamics
 Utilizes demographics to explore and identify
populations and their characteristics
 Demographics are particularly important for public
health as these statistics help to define populations
based upon selected characteristics
 Three primary indicators for public health
 Fertility
 Mortality
 Population growth rate

4. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Population Dynamics
 Fertility
 Rate of childbearing
 May be measured on a “per woman” basis or as a rate pe 1,000
women
 Mortality
 Death rate
 May be measured as a crude rate (deaths per year per 1,000
population) but typically examined based upon age groups or
life stages (like infant mortality)
 Population growth rate
 Speed at which a population increases or decreases in size
 Issues of rapid growth, rapid decline, and maldistribution can
result in significant public health consequences

5. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Current “Population” Challenges and
Solutions
 Population growth rate at the time of book publication was
roughly 1.3% (Coreil, 2010, p. 27).
 In 2021, US Census data reports the slowest population growth
since the founding of the United States
(https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/12/us-
population-grew-in-2021-slowest-rate-since-founding-of-the-
nation.html)
 Concerns raised over carrying capacity have led to discussions
surrounding population approaches
 Use genetic engineering technology and crop treatments to increase the
amount of food available
 Reduce the number of people and encourage changes in eating patterns
to limit resource utilization
 Change how groups interact politically and economically, improving the
distribution and utilization of available resources

6. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Population Dynamics
Developmental Transitions Pre-transition Transition Post-transition
Demographic Transition High rates of fertility and
mortality (esp.
infants/children); moderate
population growth
Decreasing death rates due
to improved living
conditions; high fertility;
rapid population growth
Fertility decreases as
mortality falls; low
population growth rates
Epidemiologic Transition High rates of infectious
disease and poor nutrition;
increased infant/child
mortality
Decreasing incidence of
infectious disease and
improving nutrition lead to
reduced infant/child
mortality; chronic disease
becomes more common
As life expectancy
increases, injury and
chronic disease become
major causes of death and
disability
Health Transition Few chronic health
conditions; hardships and
lack of medical care lead to
lower life expectancy
Settled populations led to
issues with sanitation and
infectious disease;
increased purchasing of
foods rather than growing
it themselves; increased
population growth
Improved sanitation,
disease prevention,
medical care reduced
mortality; increased life
expectancy; chronic
disease, injury,
environmental issues
prevalent

7. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Evolutionary Medicine
 Interdisciplinary field that has been around for decades
 Examines current human health and disease status from
the viewpoint of our human history
 Strives to answer the question of how our current
environment (physical, nutritional, social, cultural) may
contradict our biological history, resulting in states of
disease rather than well-being
 Watch video on Evolutionary Medicine
https://www.ted.com/talks/lara_durgavich_an_evolutiona
ry_perspective_on_human_health_and_disease?language
=en

8. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Summary
 This chapter has presented numerous concepts that
help to define how we have changed socially and
culturally – and how that has impacted our well being
in this present environment.
 The impact of our “history” on our current states of
health and disease is not only intriguing but critical to
our understanding of how we can improve the
public’s health.
 We will return to these building blocks throughout
the term as we continue to learn more!

9. | http://online.mcphs.edu
Week 2 Assignments
Discussion Board
Read Mud Creek Medicine
for Week 3 Live Discussion