Physical Quality of Life Index †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Physical Quality of Life Index. Answer: Introduction: The term Quality of Life (QOL) sounds complex when asked to define. According to World Health Organization (WHO), the quality of life is defined as the condition of life that is arising out of the combination of several determining factors like determinants in health, happiness, education, social factors and intellectual attainments (Measuring Quality of Life 2017). Here happiness in life is dependent on free of expression, action, justice, comfort in the physical environment and job satisfaction. People at present are demanding a better quality of life wrapped with well-being. It should be noted that the increase in the financial set up and job satisfaction, cannot alone improve the quality of life. Therefore, the government organizations are working in favor of this via reducing the rates of mortality, chances of morbidity, increasing the standards of primary health care while promoting physical and mental well-being (Fayers and Machin 2013). The changes are being affected via refo rmulation of the social policy and societal goals. Physical quality of Life Index (PQLI) is an attempt to quantify the quality of life or well-being of a population of a country. The value of the PQLI is obtained via average of three statistical data which are the rate of literacy, the rate of infant mortality, the rate of lfe expectancy as per the age (Estes 2014). All these statistical factors are rated on the parameter of 0 to 100-scale. Morris David developed the concept in the year of 1970s for Overseas Development Council (Estes 2014).PQLI is the measure of the degree of refinement of the social, economic and political policies and does not reflect the measurement of the economic growth (Estes 2014). (Formula used for measuring PQLI: refer to appendix 1). Human Development Index (HDI) was designed to strengthen the concept of people and their criteria are ultimate for assessing the development of country. Here the development of a country centers not only around the economic growth but refers to the overall development of the people or average achievement in the key areas of human development (Hdr.undp.org 2017). Here achievements in human development include basic human capabilities like being knowledgeable, leading a long life and enjoying a decent standard of living. The value of HDI ranges in between 0 to 1. The indicators, which were used before 2009 to measure, HDI was adult literacy rate, gross enrolment ratio and gross national income (GNI). However, an amendment was made in the year of 2010 and was further updated in 2011 (please refer to appendix 2). The three dimension of HDI as proposed in 2010 are: life expectancy/birth, education index, GNI per capita (Ravallion 2012). Other measures, which are used to ascertain the QOL, are generic questioners. The first is the Health Day Measures used by CDC (Center of Disease Control; https://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/hrqol14_measure.htm) and Short-From Health Survey (used to access physical and mental health and is suitable for pharmacogeneic analysis) (Felice and Vasta 2014). Other two questioners are EQ-5D (https://euroqol.org) and AQoL-8D (https://www.aqol.com.au). References Estes, R.J., 2014. Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI).Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, pp.4804-4805. Fayers, P.M. and Machin, D., 2013.Quality of life: the assessment, analysis and interpretation of patient-reported outcomes. John Wiley Sons. Felice, E. and Vasta, M., 2014. Passive modernization? The new human development index and its components in Italy's regions (18712007).European Review of Economic History,19(1), pp.44-66. Hdr.undp.org. (2017).Human Development Index (HDI) | Human Development Reports. [online] Available at: https://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi [Accessed 21 Oct. 2017]. Measuring Quality of Life. (2017). [ebook] World Health Organisation. Available at: https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/68.pdf [Accessed 21 Oct. 2017]. Ravallion, M., 2012. Troubling tradeoffs in the human development index.Journal of Development Economics,99(2), pp.201-209.