LIVING SICK: Global life expectancy increases faster than healthy life expectancy

A new study shows that men and women across the world are living an average of six years longer than they did 25 years ago. Even in some of the world's least developed countries, life expectancy is rising.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Healthy life expectancy -or the number of years that a person lives in good health- is increasing but experts at the University of Washington claim global life expectancy is rising faster than healthy life expectancy. This means that people are experiencing more years of illness or disability.

The study of 188 countries finds heart disease, lower respiratory infections and strokes are causing the greatest degree of health loss on a global scale.

The research was conducted by an international group of researchers at the University of Washington who are working on a Global Burden of Disease study, led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Professor Theo Vos, the study's lead author, said, "The world has made great progress in health, but now the challenge is to invest in finding more effective ways of preventing or treating the major causes of illness and disability."

The study, published in The Lancet, employed DALYs, or disability-adjusted life years, to compare the health of different populations and health conditions across time.

According to DALY's measurements, the leading global causes of health loss in 2013 were heart disease, lower respiratory infections, stroke, low back and neck pain and road injuries. The fastest-growing global cause of health loss between 1990 and 2013 was HIV/AIDS, which increased by 341.5 percent. Studies also show these forms of health-loss differed by gender.

The study also looked into the role socio-demographic status - a combination of per capita income, population age, fertility rates, and years of schooling - plays in defining health loss.

According to Dr Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, "Factors including income and education have an important impact on health but don't tell the full story. Looking at healthy life expectancy and health loss at the country level can help guide policies to ensure that people everywhere can have long and healthy lives no matter where they live."

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