Brynn Barineau

Tag: Health Care in Brazil

  • Human Development Index Brazil & US

    Human Development Index Brazil & US

    This past week the 2010 Human Development Index (HDI) came out and marked its 20th anniversary. The idea behind the HDI report is that a country’s development cannot be measured in GDP alone. The quality of life for the people living in the county is what matters.

    Data on every type of development factor from internet accessibility to maternal mortality rates to average years of school has been collected from 169 countries. This year they’ve added a special section looking at global trends of the past two decades. And it’s all free. All the data, their methodology, the analysis, it’s all available to anyone with internet access. The internet is amazing! (So is UNDP for not charging us to see their very pretty graphs.)

    Just for fun (yes, I think comparing development stats between countries is fun) let’s compare Norway, Brazil, the US and Tajikistan. Why Tajikistan? Because Tajikistan is fun to say.

    Overall HDI ranking (out of 169 countries)
    Norway 1
    Brazil 73
    United States 4
    Tajikistan 112

    Life Expectancy at Birth
    Norway 81
    Brazil 72.9
    US 79.5
    Tajikistan 67.3

    Mean Years of Schooling (among adults)
    Norway 12.6
    Brazil 7.1
    US 12.4
    Tajikistan 9.7

    GDP per capita (2008 PPP US$)
    Norway $58,277
    Brazil $10,846
    US $46,652
    Tajikistan $2,064

    Inequality Gini Coefficient (0 is perfectly equal distribution)
    Norway 25.8
    Brazil 55
    US 40.8
    Tajikistan N/A

    Adolescent Fertility Rate (Births per 1,000 women 15-19)
    Norway 8.6
    Brazil 75.6
    US 35.9
    Tajikistan 28.4

    Homicide Rate (per 100,000)
    Norway 0.6
    Brazil 22
    US 5.2
    Tajikistan 2.3

    So, what can we conclude from all these numbers? Norway deserves some hearty congratulations for doing apparently everything right. I think the only reason we all aren’t heading to Norway and putting plaster gnomes in our windows is because most people want to see the sun more than six months out of the year.

    We can all be grateful we don’t live in Tajikistan no matter how fabulous the name is. Brazil has come a long way but still has serious problems particularly in terms of education and violence. Better public education would also go a long way in combatting other issues such as teen pregnancy.

    And what about the US? There are serious problems facing the US, but the fear and despair manifesting itself in the media, political rhetoric, and comment streams isn’t warranted. Life in the US is good. Not perfect, but in comparison to the vast majority countries the quality of life you can have in the States is luxurious.

    If people would just stop screaming at each other as if we’re on a burning ship that’s sinking into shark infested waters, we could see that we have all the resources we need to fix our problems. Governing is not a game with winners and losers. It’s problem solving. Nobody wins until the problem is solved. We may not be Norway, but number 4 is pretty darn good.

  • Combatting Hypertension and Puritans

    Rio has a way of bringing out the Puritan in me.  I see a fourteen year-old girl in a thong and I’m thrown into what can only be described as a tizzy.  I turned into a flustered grandmother when handed a government sponsored condom upon arrival at the Carnaval parade.  My husband says not to be too hard on myself.  He says I’m just a product of my culture.

    I’d like to protest but he’s right.  Americans are so uptight about sex.  Brazilians seems to be more open about sex and the fact that people actually have it.  This open attitude is certainly embraced by the ministry of health as demonstrated by their carnaval themed condoms and a report they issued last week.

    A new study shows the rate of hypertension in Brazil has risen from 21.5% in 2006 to 24.4% of the population in 2009.  Hypertension is a problem the US and Brazil share but Brazil seems to be taking a slightly different approach to combatting the problem.

    As part of fighting hypertension, the health minister recommends, “besides eating five portions of fruits a day, you could try to have sex five times a day.”

    Take a minute and try to imagine an American cabinet member or any government official saying those words to the press.  If your head hasn’t exploded from trying to visualize something so inconceivable, move on to imagining the voices of the FOX news pundits.  And finally, picture the headline a week later announcing the resignation of this official.

    Here in Brazil, the newspaper article acknowledged the minister was joking and further quoted him seriously recommending, “dance, sex, a change in diet” and physical activity as ways to combat high blood pressure.  Then the article went on to discuss the report in greater detail.

    A government official recommends sex five times a day and the reporter focuses on hypertension statistics?  What is wrong with these people?

    As far as I know, the health minister still has his job and no reports have come in of children irrevocably damaged from hearing their government acknowledge that there are physical benefits from a healthy sex life.

    But before anyone starts applying for residency visas, a word of caution.  While Brazilians have fewer hang ups about sex, the country is far from being a bastion of liberal values.  If any daughters result from these hypertension treatments, good luck convincing their fathers to let them play soccer.  Soccer turns girls into lesbians.

    Now, if you’ll excuse me.  I’ve had french fries a few times this week and my husband is out of town.  I’ll just have to go to the gym.