Question:medium
According to McKeown's theory, the reduction in mortality due to tuberculosis is a consequence of
According to McKeown's theory, the reduction in mortality due to tuberculosis is a consequence of
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McKeown said TB deaths fell before drugs and vaccines, due to better living conditions.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Increased awareness and knowledge
- Medical advancement
- Behavioural modification
- Social and environmental factors
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The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
This question tests the central claim of the McKeown thesis on the decline of infectious-disease deaths.
Thomas McKeown studied long-run mortality data and made the striking observation that deaths from tuberculosis and other infections were already falling steeply well before specific cures or vaccines became available. The arrival of streptomycin and BCG came late in the timeline, after most of the decline had already happened.
From this he concluded that the chief drivers of the falling death rate were rising living standards, especially improved nutrition, together with better social and environmental conditions like cleaner water, improved sanitation, better housing and less crowding. Medical care, in his view, played only a minor role in the historical decline.
Looking at the alternatives, medical advancement is the very factor McKeown argued was not the principal cause, while increased awareness and behavioural change were not the heart of his explanation. The factor he emphasised is captured by social and environmental conditions.
Hence, by McKeown's theory, the drop in tuberculosis mortality is attributed to social and environmental factors.
\[\boxed{\text{Social and environmental factors}}\]
Thomas McKeown studied long-run mortality data and made the striking observation that deaths from tuberculosis and other infections were already falling steeply well before specific cures or vaccines became available. The arrival of streptomycin and BCG came late in the timeline, after most of the decline had already happened.
From this he concluded that the chief drivers of the falling death rate were rising living standards, especially improved nutrition, together with better social and environmental conditions like cleaner water, improved sanitation, better housing and less crowding. Medical care, in his view, played only a minor role in the historical decline.
Looking at the alternatives, medical advancement is the very factor McKeown argued was not the principal cause, while increased awareness and behavioural change were not the heart of his explanation. The factor he emphasised is captured by social and environmental conditions.
Hence, by McKeown's theory, the drop in tuberculosis mortality is attributed to social and environmental factors.
\[\boxed{\text{Social and environmental factors}}\]
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