“Europe has the highest rates of alcohol and tobacco use in the world and WHO estimates show rises in the prevalence of overweight and obesity between 2010 and 2014 in nearly all countries”, the report read. In the European, Eastern Mediterranean and Americas regions, over 50% of women are overweight and roughly half of these are also obese, at 25%, 24% and 30% respectively. People in the United Kingdom drink, on average, 9-12 litres of pure alcohol a year (equivalent to around 100-130 bottles of wine), in line with the European average of 11 litres. The range is relatively narrow and no country can afford to be content; the spectrum ranges from 45 percent of the population to 67 percent of the population.
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The report stated that these high rates are “alarming” because they all contribute to higher risks of heart disease, cancer and other chronic health conditions.
Commenting on the report, the World Health Organization warns that, while Europeans are living longer, these lifestyle factors “could mean that the life expectancy of future generations will fall”. “If rates of smoking and alcohol consumption and obesity do not decline we may risk the gains in life expectancy we have seen – which may mean that the next generation may lead shorter lives than that we do”.
It is feared that young people are at high risk as their lives may be shortened if things do not improve. The improvements incurred over the recent years may disappear should the present rates of smoking and drinking persist, she said.
Meanwhile obesity has tripled in many European countries since the 1980s, with 23% of Europeans now obese, according to the report.
It notes there were substantial improvements in the case of death from external causes, such as road traffic accidents and suicides, over the last report three years ago.
Several WHO Regional Office for Europe programmes work on tackling the obesity epidemic in the region, including those focusing not only on physical activity and diet but also on socioeconomic determinants, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancer and child and adolescent health.
Infant mortality has fallen to an all-time low but there remains a 10-fold difference between the highest and lowest countries, with 22 deaths per 1,000 births in Kyrgyzstan compared to two in Finland.
The study also found death rates among United Kingdom men aged 30-44 were above the European average.
Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland – the four countries reporting the most “life satisfaction” according to polling data collected by Gallup – also have some of Europe’s highest life expectancy rates.
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By Europe this definition extends beyond the European Union and includes some countries, such as Turkey, which are officially in Asia.
