The Americas has gained 16 years in life expectancy on average in the last 45 years, and a person who is born in the hemisphere can now aspire to live until age 75, almost five years longer than the world average. However, emerging and non-communicable diseases, which cause four out of five deaths per year, are the main challenges in one of the most unequal regions in the world.
This information is part of the new Health in the Americas+ 2017 report, the latest edition of the flagship publication prepared by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) every five years since 1956, which analyzes trends, challenges and health conditions in the Region.
“We live longer and are less likely to die from preventable causes, but that gain has not been equitable,” said PAHO/WHO Director, Carissa F. Etienne. “We should adopt urgent measures to combat inequities so that all people in the Americas have access to the health services they need and to conditions that contribute to good health, such as access to drinking water, education, and decent housing,” she added.
Non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancer, and diabetes, are the leading causes of mortality in the Region. Four out of five deaths per year are due to one of these causes, and that figure is expected to increase in the coming decades due to population growth, aging, urbanization, and exposure to different risk factors.
The publication presented during the 29th Pan American Sanitary Conference of PAHO in Washington, D.C. notes that the obesity rate in the Americas––one of the main risk factors for chronic disease––is double the global average (26.8% compared to 12.9%). Furthermore, it emphasizes that diabetes affects 15% of the population over 18 years of age (62 million people), a percentage that has tripled during the past decade.