A study revealing the slowdown of the average life expectancy in Europe

In a recent study published in the “Lancet” journal, it was revealed that the increase in average life expectancy in Europe has delayed since 2011. The study, conducted by researchers at the British University of Eastern Angelia in collaboration with other institutions, indicated that factors such as an unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity and obesity, in addition to the effect of the Corona virus’s pandemic, were one of the most important factors. Among all the European countries included in the study, England was the most affected country because it was the greatest slowdown to improve the average life expectancy. This means that, instead of looking for a living for a living longer than our fathers and grandparents, we can find a decrease in the average life expectancy. The slowdown in average life expectancy means that the rate of increase in the age of individuals at birth no longer improved the rate it had in previous decades, or in some cases it decided or even dropped. The average life expectancy is one of the most important indicators that reflects the health and development of the population. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, countries with a high income have seen a steady increase in average life expectancy, with a temporary hiatus during the periods of world wars and flu in 1918. However, the impact of the corona pandemic has seen a slowdown in the pace of this increase in recent decades, especially after 2011, and this slowdown was exacerbated by the corona pandemic, which largely affected the death rates and the average life in many countries. Since 1900, the average life expectancy in high -income countries has increased continuously, driven by healthcare and living conditions. However, the rate of this increase began to slow down to 2011, when the data showed a decrease in the annual improvement rates. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development attributed this slowdown to various factors, including a decrease in the frequency of reducing deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer, and increasing deaths caused by respiratory diseases among the elderly in some winter seasons. The average life expectancy of the population of Europe usually varies between 78 and 83 years, with differences between countries, where countries such as Switzerland, Spain and Italy are the highest rates (about 83 years), while rates in some Eastern European countries are lower (about 74-77 years). According to the research article; This slowdown is due to various factors, such as high heart disease and obesity, increased harmful environmental factors and the slowdown of progress in healthcare and prevention. The lead author of the study, Nick Steel, a researcher at the University of Medicine at the University of “East Anglia”, explained that the major improvements in the average life expected during the twentieth century, driven by the progress of public health and medicine, did not continue in the same pace after 2011. However, after 2011, these improvements saw a major slowdown, as cardiovascular disease was the most important factor behind this decline between 2011 and 2019, and with the rise of the corona’s pandemic, the situation worsened as the pandemic led to a clear decline in the average life expectancy between 2019 and 2021. Improved in most European countries, despite improving medical treatments to control cholesterol levels and blood pressure, it was not sufficient to compensate the negative effects of obesity and unhealthy diets. In their study, the researchers relied on the data for studying the burden of global diseases, which is one of the most comprehensive studies to measure health loss in the world, as it depends on the contributions of about 12 thousand researchers from more than 160 countries. The team compared the changes to the average life expectancy, the causes of death and exposure to risk factors through periods of 1990-2011, 2011-2019, 2019-2021. Among the countries included in the study are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Despite the slowdown in improving the average life expectancy, the study confirmed that we have not yet reached the maximum biological boundary. Strong health policies and steel say the average life expectancy in many countries still improves among the elderly, which is an indication of the possibility of reducing risk factors and preventing early deaths. The study showed that the countries that adopted strong national health policies, such as Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium, were able to maintain high rates of an average age of expected after 2011. On the contrary, England and other countries in the UK were one of the most affected, either after 2011 or during the corona pandemic, due to high heart disease and cancer as a result of unhealthy diet. Researcher John Newton, from the European Center for Environmental and Human Health at the University of Exeter, comments on the results and says: “We must be concerned about the noticeable decline in improving average life expectancy in many European countries, including the UK,” the researcher John Newton, of the European Center for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter, said on the results. But there is also hope, as the study has shown that addressing the cause of major illnesses can be effective if improvements still reduce the basic health risks. The researchers emphasize the importance of prevention than the cornerstone of a healthier society, and they have also pointed out that the slowdown in improving average expectation, especially due to heart disease and cancer, should take more striking measures to address basic causes such as malnutrition, obesity and lack of physical activity.