If you live in India, you will begin to suffer the negative effects of ageing at an early age than if you live in Japan or Switzerland, says a first-of-its-kind scientific study.
According to the paper published in The Lancet PublicHealth, a 30-year-gap separates countries with the highest and lowest ages atwhich people experience the health problems of a 65-year-old.
Researchers found 76-year-olds in Japan and 46-year-olds inPapua New Guinea have the same level of age-related health problems as an”average” person aged 65.
The study, however, noted that countries such as China andIndia are performing better in all age-related disease burden rankings.
India ranks 159th on age-related burden rate and 138th onage-related disease burden rate.
France (76 years) was third, Singapore fourth (76 years) andKuwait fifth (75.3 years) in the age-related disease burden rankings. At 68.5years, the United States ranked 54th, between Iran (69 years) and Antigua andBarbuda (68.4 years).
“The findings show increased life expectancy at older agescan either be an opportunity or a threat to the overall welfare of population,depending on the ageing-related health problems the population experiencesregardless of chronological age.” said Angela Y Chang, lead author from theUniversity of Washington.
Age-related health problems can lead to early retirement, asmaller work force, and higher health spending.
“Government leaders and other stakeholders influencinghealth systems need to consider when people begin suffering the negativeeffects of ageing,” Chang said.
The negative effects, include impaired functions and loss ofphysical, mental, and cognitive abilities resulting from the 92 medicalconditions analysed — five of which are communicable and 81 non-communicable,along with six injuries. To reach the conclusion, the researchers measured”age-related disease burden” by aggregating all disability-adjusted life years— a measurement of loss of healthy life, related to the 92 diseases.
Using global average 65-year-olds as a reference group,Chang and the team also estimated the ages at which the population in eachcountry experienced the same related burden rate.
The study covered the period of 1990 to 2017 in 195 countries and territories.