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Global study shows that an increasing proportion of life is spent with illness or disability<\/p>\n
Average life expectancy has increased significantly over the past century and now stands at 73.8 years, thanks to major declines in infectious diseases and maternal and child mortality, as well as progress in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.<\/p>\n
However, the years gained do not necessarily mean they are spent in good health. well, says the study published in the journal The Lancet Public Health.<\/p>\n
Since the increase in life expectancy is outpacing the improvement in healthy life expectancy in almost all of the 204 countries and territories analyzed, the authors estimate that health systems should shift the focus from extending life to improving the quality of the added years.<\/p>\n
Globally, during 2023 people spent an average of 14.5 percent of their lives with poor health. Longer life expectancy is increasingly associated with non-fatal diseases and disabilities.<\/p>\n
Countries where people live longer also record more years spent with health problems. This suggests that longer life expectancy is not only pushing illness towards the later years of life, but in many cases is extending the period that people live with illness or disability.<\/p>\n
Where are fewer years spent in poor health?<\/p>\n
In 2023, people in the wealthiest countries spent about 15.7 percent of their lives in poor health, while in the sub-Saharan Africa superregion the gap between life expectancy and healthy years was the smallest, at about nine years.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands recorded the largest absolute increase: the proportion of life spent in poor health increased from 13.2 per cent in 1990 to 15.7 per cent in 2023.<\/p>\n
The largest morbidity gap \u2013 i.e. the time or proportion of life spent in poor health \u2013 was recorded in the US, Australia and Canada.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Laos had the smallest gap, meaning their residents spent fewer years of life with health problems, reports the Telegraph.<\/p>\n
Which health problems have the biggest impact?<\/p>\n
The authors found that non-fatal conditions accounted for 57.4 percent of the global morbidity gap because they add to the number of years people live with disabilities or poor health. weakened.<\/p>\n
Among the main causes were musculoskeletal disorders, such as lower back pain, mental disorders, diseases of the sensory organs, including age-related hearing loss, and accidental injuries.<\/p>\n
In lower-income countries, malnutrition, respiratory infections, tuberculosis and neglected tropical diseases were also among the main factors.<\/p>\n
The study also identified several important factors. risk: high body mass index, child and maternal malnutrition, tobacco use, high fasting blood glucose and air pollution.<\/p>\n
What might a healthier future look like?<\/p>\n
According to the authors, the results also raise questions about the sustainability of social protection systems and how resources should be allocated between prevention, treatment and innovation.<\/p>\n
As the percentage of life spent in good health frailty has increased steadily since 1990, the researchers emphasize the need for a much greater focus on healthy aging.<\/p>\n
The World Health Organization defines healthy aging as the process of developing and maintaining functional abilities that enable well-being in old age.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur findings show that future gains in population health will come not only from helping people live longer, but also from helping to live healthier”, says the senior author of the study, Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine.<\/p>\n
According to him, progress in healthy aging should be measured not only by life expectancy, but also by the number of years lived in good health. For this, greater investments are needed in prevention, long-term disease control and care for chronic diseases.<\/p>\n
Even the co-author of the study, Catherine Bisignano, emphasizes that more attention should be paid to the conditions and risk factors that increase the years lived with disabilities.<\/p>\n
“Earlier treatment of these problems, through prevention and better long-term care, can have important social, health and economic impacts”, she emphasizes. it.<\/p>\n
In this regard, researchers call for continued investment in prevention, rehabilitation, mental health services and chronic disease care, as well as better access to assistive technologies and integrated models of long-term care.<\/p>\n
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