Dec 18, 2024 01:19 PM IST
We’re living longer than ever before in human history. But a study featuring data from 183 countries shows living longer doesn’t always mean living healthier.
New research has found that the gap between lifespan and ‘healthspan’ — meaning the years of life lived in good health — is getting ‘wider’. Using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the recent study, published in JAMA Network Open, found a ‘widening gap between lifespan and healthspan’ among 183 countries; in the US, it is the widest in the world. Also read | Cracking the code to living longer: Eat more protein. Study explains how it works
The researchers said that the average American will live 12.4 years with disability and/or illness, up from 10.9 years in 2000. They called the healthspan-lifespan gap a ‘universal threat to healthy longevity’.
What growing older means
Globally, we’re living longer than ever before in human history. But we don’t always consider what those extra years of life will look like. “The data show that gains in longevity are not matched with equivalent advances in healthy longevity. Growing older often means more years of life burdened with disease,” said Dr Andre Terzic, senior author of the study, adding, “This research has important practice and policy implications by bringing attention to a growing threat to the quality of longevity and the need to close the healthspan-lifespan gap.”
More about the study
It examined data for 183 WHO member states, covering life expectancy and health-adjusted life expectancy and comparing results for men and women. The findings cover an almost two-decade period, from 2000 to 2019. Globally, they found that lifespan increased from 79.2 years to 80.7 years for women and from 74.1 years to 76.3 years for men. The greatest lifespan increases were seen in the African nations of Rwanda, Malawi, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Zambia.
However, the same level of increase was not seen in healthspan. This resulted in an average gap of 9.6 years between lifespan and healthspan, an increase of 13 percent since 2000.
On a country-by-country basis, the US comes out on top for the gap between lifespan and healthspan – 29 percent higher than the global mean. The US also reported the most chronic disease among the population, with significant factors including mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
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