How To Increase Life Expectancy?
Life expectancy is the expectation, in relation to the number of years, that an individual is expected to live in a given context. We are talking about one of the indicators that the United Nations has selected to assess development in the different countries of the world.
Certainly, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that life expectancy differs depending on where you are born and where you grow up. Thus, countries with a higher development index have a higher life expectancy than underdeveloped countries.
While WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan reports that “the world has made great strides in reducing unnecessary suffering and premature deaths from preventable and treatable diseases,” she argues that progress has been irregular, and the best thing to do about it is to help countries achieve universal health coverage.
The gap that separates developed from underdeveloped countries is becoming ever deeper, having a direct impact on the quality of life. Therefore, the planning and improvement of public policies on a global scale would be one of the best ways to reverse the situation and extend the life expectancy of developing countries.
Life expectancy in Spain and the European Union
The European Information System on Life and Health Expectations (EHLEIS) reports that the number of years of healthy life has increased in Spain if we compare current data with those of the SILC and with the average of the 28 member states of the European Union ( EU28).
European Health and Life Expectancy Information System (EHLEIS) is part of BRIDGE-Health, whose main objective is to create a European Health Information System integrated into the third EU Health Program 2014-2020.
In this way, through the data obtained, new prevention measures and improvement of the quality of life of people residing in the European Union can be proposed , since the ideal is to increase healthy life expectancy and avoid diseases, especially those that are chronic or life-threatening.
What healthy habits increase life expectancy?
The World Health Organization reports on the factors that influence healthy aging. While some of the variations in health are genetic, the context is no less relevant. In this sense, there are a good number of contextual factors that influence aging from an early stage.
The environment is influential when making decisions for the maintenance of healthy habits. WHO advises leading healthy lifestyles to reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.
The ideal is to consume at least five fruits and vegetables a day, as it reduces the risk of developing pathologies and guarantees a sufficient intake of dietary fiber. In addition, it is good to respect the hours of sleep, if possible at night, because a rest is perhaps a factor that offers us more vitality.
The WHO ensures that unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity are the main risk factors for health on a global scale. Certainly, a healthy diet begins in the first years of life, which provides long-term benefits if it is maintained through all subsequent stages.
Thus, in large numbers, maintaining healthy habits, even in advanced ages, can be decisive for quality of life. In sum, training and good nutrition help preserve cognitive function, as well as slow down the rate at which losses occur and delay dependency.
