Low Healthy Life Expectancy
What are the main factors contributing to low healthy life expectancy in the developed world? Investigate possible solutions to these problems.
Low healthy life expectancy is the imprecise number of years an individual or group of persons in a country is expected to live, staying healthy and free from disabilities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines healthy life expectancy as the “average number of years that a person is expected to live in full health, subtracting full health due to diseases and injury”. Low healthy life expectancy in the developed world is caused by several factors such as, life styles, climate, diet and the environment. These are problems because they reduce healthy life expectancy, and to solve this problem, government should increase the awareness of people and also provide proper health care and facilities. An individual could be aware of their life expectancy but this awareness does not state how much of their life they would enjoy in good health, free from disabilities (Kaplan, 2010). Low healthy life expectancy is a key problem in the developed world today, the factors, problems and solutions will be analysed in this essay.
Moving now to the factors affecting low healthy life expectancy, the first major factor is life styles. World Health Organisation in Beattie et al (n.d.) defines life style as the patterns of behavioural choices made from the alternatives that are available to people according to their socio-economic circumstances and to the ease with which they are able to make a choice over another. Life styles are the ways individuals or group of persons in a country choose to adopt as a blueprint of life. Firstly, Individuals of different countries have different attitude towards smoking. For example smoking is acknowledged as the greatest contributor to disparities in health and transience in the United Kingdom. Crang and Shelton (2007). Smoking damages the lungs and makes breathing difficult which might result to
Low healthy life expectancy is the imprecise number of years an individual or group of persons in a country is expected to live, staying healthy and free from disabilities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines healthy life expectancy as the “average number of years that a person is expected to live in full health, subtracting full health due to diseases and injury”. Low healthy life expectancy in the developed world is caused by several factors such as, life styles, climate, diet and the environment. These are problems because they reduce healthy life expectancy, and to solve this problem, government should increase the awareness of people and also provide proper health care and facilities. An individual could be aware of their life expectancy but this awareness does not state how much of their life they would enjoy in good health, free from disabilities (Kaplan, 2010). Low healthy life expectancy is a key problem in the developed world today, the factors, problems and solutions will be analysed in this essay.
Moving now to the factors affecting low healthy life expectancy, the first major factor is life styles. World Health Organisation in Beattie et al (n.d.) defines life style as the patterns of behavioural choices made from the alternatives that are available to people according to their socio-economic circumstances and to the ease with which they are able to make a choice over another. Life styles are the ways individuals or group of persons in a country choose to adopt as a blueprint of life. Firstly, Individuals of different countries have different attitude towards smoking. For example smoking is acknowledged as the greatest contributor to disparities in health and transience in the United Kingdom. Crang and Shelton (2007). Smoking damages the lungs and makes breathing difficult which might result to
References: Beattie, A., Gott, M., Jones, L., and Sid ell, M (n.d.). Health and Wellbeing: a reader. London: The Macmillan Press LTD. Costello, A., Abbas, M., Allen, A., and Ball, S (2009). The lancet and University College. London Institute for Global Health Commission. Managing the health effects of climate change. p. 20 Retrieved 30/11/2010 from http://www.ucl.ac.uk/global-health/ucl-lancet-climate-change.pdf Crang, R and Shelton, N (2007). A survey carried on behalf of the NHS information centre. Healthy lifestyles, knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. England: National centre for social research. Kaplan International Colleges (2010). Skills for Study 1: Health Expectancy Nottingham, UK: KIC. pp. 176 – 181. Kaplan International Colleges (2010). Skills for Study 1: Health Expectancy. [podcast][mp3]. Nottingham, UK: KIC. pp. Paul, R and Thomas (1991). Improving America’s diet and health. Washington, D,C1991: National Academic Press. Timothy, J, Bradley, R, and Wayne, D. (n.d.). The healthy life style. William, U, C (1986). Humanities, Social sciences and Law: Banishing tobacco. (Electronic version) pp. 56-64 World Health Organisation (n.d.). Retrieved 28/11/2010 from http:www.who.int/whosis/indicators/en/