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But
while people in Japan, Australia, France, Sweden, Spain and
Italy enjoy the longest, healthiest lives, the HIV/AIDS epidemic
has drastically reduced the lifespans of people in sub-Saharan
Africa. Sierra Leone was the lowest life expectancy -- less
than 26 years -- followed by Niger, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana.
The
variation between the highest and the lowest is much greater
than health experts had expected.
Instead
of using death rates to calculate life expectancy, the WHO
has developed a new indicator,, Disability Adjusted Life
Expectancy (DALE), to determine healthy life expectancy.
With
DALE the years of ill-health are wighted according to severity
and subtracted from the overall life expectancy to give
years of healthy life.
One
of the biggest surprises with DALE was the relatively low
position of the United States -- number 24 on the list.
With
an overall life expectancy of 70 years, the United States
ranks below Greece (72.5 years), Switerland (72.5) Monaco
(72.4) and Andorra (72.3), which round out the top 10.
"The
reason it is 24th is that there are groups that have been
left out of the advances in health we have seen for most
of the US population for the last two or three decades,"
said
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"These
are levels that we haven't seen in centuries in the rich countries,"
added Dr Alan Lopez, co-ordinator of WHO's Epidemiology and
Burden of Disease Team, told Reuters. In most industrial countries
women live longer than men because they are more health conscious,
smoke less, have better diets and are more active.
In
NOrth African nations and the Middle East healthy life expectancy
for men and women in similar, while in Russia women tend to
live 10 years longer than men.
The
gap is similar in the Ukraine and Belarus, Alcohol abuse
and cardiovascular disease are thought to be among main
causes.
In
China, which has 20 per cent of the world's population,
both men (61.2 years) and women 62.3) have similar life
expectancy.
Elsewhere
in Asis, Vietnam's life expectancy has improved to 58.2
years, Thailand's is 60.2 but Myanmar lags behind with just
52 years.
In
a surprise finding, despite decades of a US trade embargo
Cuba has achieved the highest healthy life expectancy in
Latin America at 68.4 years. It is not far behind the United
States and just ahed of of Uruguay, Argentina and Costa
Rica.
"Across
countries this study gives us some new insight into a long-running
debate about whether, as people live longer, they are living
healthier lives," said Murray.
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