It Bears Repeating: Disability Not Death
In the last 20 years, the health of most of the world is beginning to resemble the United States where death in childhood is rare, lifespans are extended, birth rates are dropping and too much food rather than to little leading to chronic diseases is becoming the norm.
High blood pressure is not the leading risk factor for disease throughout the world. We are transitioning to a world where disability is the dominant concern instead of premature death. Malnutrition has dropped globally in the last 20 years from 11th to 21st cause of death.
The introduction of vaccines, antibiotics, insecticides and vitamins have caused a decline in childhood deaths from 19th to 62nd place worldwide. As a result of people having fewer children, declining global poverty and advancements in medicine and public health the world's population is getting older. It is predicted by 2015 there will be more people over 65 than under 5 which will be a historical first.
People are living longer but not necessarily aging better. For every year of life expectancy added since 1990, about 9 1/2 months is time in good health. The remaining time is in a diminished state or capacity. For people over the age of 50, the add time of good health is reduced further. For every added year only 7 months are in good health. This trend of adding increasing amount of time spent in bad health is known as the "expansion of morbidity". The challenge of the shifting demographics is expected to have tremendous impact on health care costs and finding treatments and solutions to disabilities.
The information for this article came from the Global Burden Disease Study, a longitudinal study by 486 researchers at 302 institutions in 50 countries partially funded by The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation.
High blood pressure is not the leading risk factor for disease throughout the world. We are transitioning to a world where disability is the dominant concern instead of premature death. Malnutrition has dropped globally in the last 20 years from 11th to 21st cause of death.
The introduction of vaccines, antibiotics, insecticides and vitamins have caused a decline in childhood deaths from 19th to 62nd place worldwide. As a result of people having fewer children, declining global poverty and advancements in medicine and public health the world's population is getting older. It is predicted by 2015 there will be more people over 65 than under 5 which will be a historical first.
People are living longer but not necessarily aging better. For every year of life expectancy added since 1990, about 9 1/2 months is time in good health. The remaining time is in a diminished state or capacity. For people over the age of 50, the add time of good health is reduced further. For every added year only 7 months are in good health. This trend of adding increasing amount of time spent in bad health is known as the "expansion of morbidity". The challenge of the shifting demographics is expected to have tremendous impact on health care costs and finding treatments and solutions to disabilities.
The information for this article came from the Global Burden Disease Study, a longitudinal study by 486 researchers at 302 institutions in 50 countries partially funded by The Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation.
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