High mortality rates among young people are an ’emerging crisis’, warns global health study | Global Health
The world faces “an emerging crisis” characterized by higher mortality rates among adolescents and young adults, according to a major study into the causes of death and disability worldwide.
The reasons vary from drug and alcohol use, to suicide in North America, to infectious diseases and injuries in sub-Saharan Africa, the researchers said, but cautioned that their data should serve as a “wake-up call.”
The study also found that chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetes now accounted for two-thirds of all health problems and that mental health problems were on the rise.
According to the researchers’ calculations, half of the world’s disease burden could be avoided, due to risks that could be reduced, such as high blood pressure, air pollution, smoking and obesity.
The Global Burden of Disease study was carried out by a network of 16,500 scientists using more than 300,000 data sources. It is published in the Lancet and was presented on Sunday at the World Health Summit in Berlin.
It found that from 2023 onwards, mortality rates had declined overall across all 204 countries and territories, and global life expectancy had recovered from the decline caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It stands at 76.3 years for women and 71.5 years for men, more than 20 years older than in 1950 – although “strong geographical differences” remain, ranging from 83 years in high-income regions to 62 years in sub-Saharan Africa.
However, the authors say they are particularly concerned about stubbornly higher or increasing mortality rates among adolescents and young adults.
In North America and parts of Latin America, this increase is due to suicide and drug and alcohol use.
“Very marked increases” among adolescents and young adults “certainly caught our attention when we looked at the data,” said Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
He said the increase in deaths among young adults, particularly in North America, is “closely linked to the rise in anxiety and depression among young people, particularly among women.” Although the rise in mental health disorders has received a lot of attention, he said, there is still much debate surrounding their causes.
“Is it a social network? Is it [electronic] devices? Is it about broader social trends in parenting? We know that the situation has been made worse by Covid. So there’s a lot of controversy, I would say, in psychiatric epidemiology and in social commentary in general about causes related to mental health. It is therefore a problem to find solutions.
In sub-Saharan Africa, advances in modeling have revealed that deaths of children aged five to 14 since 1950 have been higher than previously thought, due in part to infectious diseases and unintentional injuries.
For girls and women aged 15 to 29, the mortality rate was 61% higher than previously estimated, mainly due to deaths during pregnancy or childbirth, road accidents and meningitis.
Murray said: “The evidence presented in the Global Burden of Disease study is a wake-up call, urging governments and health care leaders to respond quickly and strategically to the worrying trends that are reshaping public health needs. »
Dr Githinji Gitahi, chief executive of Amref Health Africa, said the 60% of Africans aged under 25 represented “incredible potential”.
“Health is the most powerful investment in this area, and integrated care is key, as we face the triple burden of the cost of living, increases in non-communicable diseases and communicable disease epidemics, and climate change,” he said.
“Siloed approaches to health care are failing our young people. Diseases like malaria, HIV and tuberculosis still claim too many lives among young people due to weak health systems, disruption of care and gaps in immunizations.
“At the same time, the exponential rise of non-communicable diseases among young Africans is not only a future threat; they are costing young lives today every day. There is too little regulation of food production and insufficient nutrition education in urban environments that are changing lifestyles and outlooks.”
He called for “stronger health systems, based on real investments in public health focused on young people”.
Emmanuela Gakidou, lead author and professor at IHME, warned that existing progress in low-income regions was at risk due to recent cuts in international aid. She said: “These countries rely on global health financing for primary care, life-saving medicines and vaccines. Without it, the gap is sure to widen.”
The Global Burden of Disease study is partly funded by the Gates Foundation, a philanthropic organization that also helps fund the Guardian’s independent global development editorial section.
