2.8 ‘Western diseases’ and other unhelpful simplifications
In this section we ask you to read the following article, which explores how globalisation is influencing changes in the eating habits of young people in Bangladesh.
In ‘McDonaldization without a McDonald’s’ Nasima Selim, Taufique Joardar and Shahaduz Zaman (this course’s author) note while Bangladesh is one of the few developing countries in the world without McDonald’s, the food consumption practices of a group of urban affluent university-educated young people in Bangladesh suggest the process of “McDonaldization” is happening anyway. The food culture of urban affluent globalised young people of Bangladesh is changing and this has an impact on their health and wellbeing.
You can read a version of the full article on ResearchGate [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]
Income groups are a useful way to look at global patterns of death, but we need to be careful that these ‘big picture’ patterns do not obscure our understanding of what is happening at a local level. This article suggests that geography and location are important, and that income and social class are also factors.
Activity 2.8
Make notes of the key points you learned from the article in your reflective log. Reflect on whether this has challenged existing ideas you had about global health, and if so, make a note of your response to this challenge.
Discussion
So you can see that global health is not just about geography, but also is related to social class and income. There are not only differences in health conditions between countries, but also within a single country.
2.7 The rise of Non-Communicable Diseases