senior citizen couple (Photo : Reuters)
Scientists have discovered that global life expectancy has increased by over six years since 1990, and more than the growth of "healthy life expectancy." People are even living longer in some of the world's poorest countries, but a complex blend of various health conditions and disabilities are resulting in large health loss.
The study was conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle. Its findings were published in the journal Lancet.
Data for the study was taken from 188 nations, according to Health. In 2013 the country with the highest life expectancy was Japan (73.4). Other nations with high averages included Canada, France, Italy, Singapore, and South Korea.
The worldwide life expectancy for both genders increased from 65.3 to 71.5 between 1990 and 2013.
However, the healthy life expectancy's increase was more modest. It rose just 5.4 years, according to Science World Report.
The rise in overall life expectancy resulted from various factors. They included lower HIV/AIDS death rates, and scientific advances in fighting factious diseases.
Healthy life expectancy factors in more than mortality rates. It also includes the effect of non-fatal conditions. In addition, it summarizes years that people lived with a disability and years that were lost as a result of dying prematurely.
In a nutshell, people are living longer than a few decades ago. However, they are also living with ailments and disabilities.
Theo Vos was the study's lead author. He said in a news release that countries should find effective methods for the prevention and treatment of illnesses' and disabilities'' major causes.
The rates of health loss are becoming more critical. Top causes of health loss in 2013 included road injuries, lower back and neck pain, stroke, and heart disease. Men and women also suffered from the factors at different rates.
