The increase in life expectancy has slowed in European countries since 2011, with a few exceptions. In question, mainly the death rate associated with cardiovascular disease, according to a study of Lancet.
- The progression of life expectancy in Europe has slowed since 2011, mainly due to cardiovascular disease and cancer, aggravated by poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and obesity.
- Some countries such as Belgium, Norway and Sweden have resisted better thanks to effective prevention policies, while the United Kingdom and Greece are particularly affected.
- The COVVI-19 pandemic accentuated this phenomenon. Experts argue for urgent measures in prevention and access to healthy food in order to reverse this disturbing trend.
Improving life expectancy in Europe has marked a net slowdown since 2011, and several countries are even seeing a regression, according to a study published this Wednesday in The Lancet Public Health. “The progress of public health and medicine during the 20th century made it possible to improve life expectancy in Europe year after year. But this is no longer the case”notes Professor Nicholas Steel, who directed the work.
A slowdown marked since 2011
His team relied on the Global Burden of Diseasea vast international research program, to compare the evolution of life expectancy, causes of mortality, and exposure to various risk factors among residents of 20 European countries (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark , Spain, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, and Sweden) over three periods: 1990-2011, 2011-2019, and 2019-2021.
Until 2011, life expectancy on the continent progressed on average each year by 0.23 years. But between 2011 and 2019, it only increased by 0.15 years, and between 2019 and 2021 it even decreased by 0.18 years because of the Cavid-19 pandemic. France followed this trend, going from 0.22 years of annual gain before 2011 to 0.17 years between 2011 and 2019, then to a decrease of 0.21 years during the health crisis.
The study attributes this slowdown mainly to the increase in cardiovascular disease and cancers, linked to a less and less healthy diet, to sedentary lifestyle and obesity. “We found that deaths from cardiovascular diseases were the main factor in reducing improvements in life expectancy between 2011 and 2019”note Professor Steel. The increase in blood pressure, cholesterol, as well as the consumption of alcohol and tobacco have also played a major role.
Inequalities marked between countries
The COVVI-19 crisis has strengthened this trend: between 2019 and 2021, life expectancy fell in most countries, with more marked declines in Greece and England. Only Ireland, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Belgium have managed to maintain or improve their life expectancy despite the pandemic. “These countries have maintained better life expectancy after 2011 and saw the major risks of heart disease decreases, thanks to government policies”underlines the researcher.
The study insists on the need to strengthen prevention from an early age. “Food, physical activity and fight against obesity must become absolute public health priorities.” These measures are all the more crucial since food precariousness increases in Europe: millions of low -income families are now increasingly difficult to access nutrients due to the rise in prices and food deserts .
Professor Nicholas Steel believes that Europe has not yet reached a “natural longevity ceiling” And that progress remains possible if greater efforts are deployed. “The older life expectancy continues to improve in several countries”he underlines. More recent data of the European Union site indicate moreover that life expectancy has somewhat rebounded from the pandemic, the average individual having to live up to 81.5 years in 2023. The old continent can therefore reverse the trend, provided that he is massively in investing in prevention and guarantee equitable access to quality care and diet.
