Life expectancy for Europeans has increased from an average of 73.2 years in 1990 to 76.8 years in 2011, and the region’s levels of premature mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, are reducing by 1.5 percent a year until 2020. However, the rates of obesity, tobacco use and alcohol consumption remain high.
A study published in The European Health Report 2015 showed Europe has the world's highest rates of drinking and smoking, and more than half its people are too fat, putting them at high risk of heart disease, cancer and other deadly diseases. The report is published by the WHO (World Health Organization) and the study was the first of its kind for 3 years covering 39 countries in Europe, including EU member states as well as former Soviet republics.
Differences in health status between European countries, according to the report, are unacceptably high. For instance, there was an 11-year gap between the highest and lowest life expectancy. Average life expectancy for men and women was reported to range from 71 in Belarus, Moldova and Russia to 82 for countries like France, Italy and Spain, according to the latest figures from 2011. The report highlighted that Europeans still smoke and drink more despite the fact that lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption are seen in many parts of the world.
The total alcohol consumption in Europe was lowered by 10 percent between 2005 and 2010, yet Europe still had the highest rate in the world. Alcohol consumption levels vary greatly ranging from 0.32 to 14.37 liters per person annually. Many EU states have alcohol consumption averages of between 9 and 12 liters per person. Rates are lower in Turkey and former Soviet states, possibly because of a higher number of Muslims living there. On average, 11 liters of pure alcohol are drunk per person each year.
High percentage of male smokers (more than 50 percent of adults) can be found in Russia, Georgia, and Greece, and female smokers can mostly be found in Croatia, Bulgaria, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Greece (over 30 percent).
Meanwhile obesity is rising, with 59 percent of Europe's population either overweight or obese. Turkey, Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic and Israel were among the nations with the highest rates of overweight and obese adults.
If rates of smoking and alcohol consumption and obesity do not decline, WHO fears that the next generation in Europe may lead shorter lives.
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