According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report published on Tuesday, the 25th February, Europeans are facing a “lifelong health crisis” as the region experiences a growing mental health crisis among young people, stagnating immunisation rates and high prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity and heart disease. Meanwhile, health systems are unprepared for future emergencies, struggling with the impact of climate change, an ageing population and staff shortages, reports Politico.
The WHO’s European Health Report, published every three years, looks at the state of health across the European region, which includes 53 countries in Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
The study found that one in six people in the region die before the age of 70 from chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory diseases.
“THE REGION AS A WHOLE NEEDS TO TACKLE THE ROOT CAUSES OF CHRONIC DISEASES, FROM TOBACCO AND ALCOHOL USE TO POOR ACCESS TO HEALTHY AND NUTRITIOUS FOOD, AIR POLLUTION AND LACK OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY,”
said WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri Kluge, in a statement.
The European region has the highest alcohol consumption in the world, with an average of 8.8 litres of pure alcohol per adult per year. Tobacco use remains “unacceptably high” at 25.3% and obesity is on the rise, currently affecting a quarter of adults.
The report also found that while overall infant mortality is low in the region, the situation varies widely between countries, with nearly 76 000 children dying before their fifth birthday each year, usually due to premature birth complications, birth asphyxia, congenital heart anomalies, lower respiratory infections, neonatal sepsis or other infections.
In addition, routine vaccination rates stagnate, leading to a resurgence of preventable diseases. For example, in 2023, measles incidence in 41 countries in the WHO European Region increased 30-fold compared to the previous year, to 58 000 cases.
Poor mental health is also on the rise among children and adolescents. One in five adolescents in the region struggles with mental health problems, and suicide is the leading cause of death among young people aged 15 to 29. Cyberbullying has also become a major problem, affecting 15% of teenagers.
Unhealthy lifestyles are also a worrying trend, with nearly one in three school-age children overweight and one in eight obese, according to the report.
And around 11% of adolescents used a tobacco product in 2022, including e-cigarettes.
The report shows “health linkages across the life cycle”, Kluge said.
“A healthy child is more likely to become a healthy teenager, a healthy adult and a healthy senior. There is nothing more important, because for the first time in the European region there are more people over 65 than under 15.”