The unhealthy lifestyle of Europeans risks affecting their longevity, according to the report published on September 23, 2015 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until 2020, all is well: life expectancy should continue to increase. This would be due to reductions in the number of premature deaths – linked in particular to alcohol and tobacco – by 1.5% per year. WHO believes that these figures are due to the effectiveness of prevention and care campaigns associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.
But beyond this date, the longevity of Europeans may decrease because risk behaviors such as smoking, overweight and alcohol consumption still reach “alarming levels” according to the WHO. In fact, in 2015, more than 50% of the European population is overweight (Body Mass Index greater than 25) and 23% is obese (BMI greater than 30). Likewise, 30% of Europeans smoke and their alcohol consumption reaches 11 liters per year per person.
As long as even stronger prevention policies are not put in place, the WHO fears a reversal of forecasts concerning life expectancy. The figures published in this report are nevertheless marked by strong disparities. For example, nearly 60% of men smoke in Russia, Georgia or Greece, against less than 20% in Iceland or Denmark. Thus, the rates of early mortality and unsafe driving in Eastern Europe far exceed those in Western Europe. This is why the inhabitants of the countries of the East live up to 11 years less than their neighbors of the countries of the West.
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