Positive and Negative Impacts of Globalization on Public Health

This article discusses the concept of globalization and its positive and negative impacts on public health. It explains how globalization affects the quality of life of citizens and demonstrates the association between a nation’s quality of health and globalization. The article also provides specific examples of the positive and negative effects of globalization on public health, including the globalization of trade and its impact on healthcare, diseases, and health risks.

Running head: SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH 1
Social Determinants of Health
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Explain the concept of 'globalization.'
Globalization illustrates the procedure in which cultures, regional economies, and
societies have become merged via an international network of subtle suggestions via
transportation, trade, and communication (Giddens, 2018). However, globalization is typically
acknowledged as being compelled by the amalgamation of political, biological, economic, socio-
cultural and technological factors.
Discuss the positive and negative impacts of globalization on public health, using specific
examples to explain your answer.
Positive effects:
Globalisation affects the quality of life of citizens of a nation by expressing globalization
construct about outflows and inflows of capital, services, goods, workers, and technology. Also,
it enunciates the quality of life of a nation concerning the health well-being, consumer and
economy and demonstrates the association between a nation’s quality of health and globalization
(Eyles & Williams, 2013). Moreover, globalization of trade has been undoubtedly essential to
public health since health services incorporating of tools like teleradiology, medical consultation
via electronic and traditional media along with telediagnostics are crossed through the borders to
benefit patients (Pang & Guindon, 2014). Patients are also able to travel globally in search of
healthcare, and other facilities hence their health is improved.
Negative effects:
Health risks such as international epidemics of non-communicable infections such as
cancers and obesity, alcohol and tobacco are as a result of international trade although it is good

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for economies. These risks bring about more deaths as a result of diabetes, lung cancer, and
cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, better access to information through the internet has
generated threats that scientific data which is freely accessible might be abused by terrorists
giving them the entrance on the underway exploration operations for new drugs (Weimann,
2016). For instance, the evolution of an advanced virus to eliminate mice might generate threats
of the improved virus being used for terrorist acts.

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References
Eyles, J., & Williams, A. (Eds.). (2013). A sense of place, health, and quality of life. Ashgate
Publishing, Ltd.
Giddens, A. (2018). Globalization. In Sociology of Globalization (pp. 19-26). Routledge.
Pang, T., & Guindon, G. E. (2014). Globalization and risks to health: As borders disappear,
people and goods are increasingly free to move, creating new challenges to global health.
These cannot be met by national governments alone but must be dealt with instead by
international organizations and agreements. EMBO reports 5(1S), S11-S16.
Weimann, G. (2016). Terror on the Internet: The new arena, the new challenges. US Institute of
Peace Press.