The Tribune

By Sabriquet Pinder-Butler

President, the Bahamas Association of Primary Care Physicians

World Health Day is celebrated annually on April 7 and represents a unique opportunity to focus attention on a specific global health issues with intention, and to compel governments, international communities, civil societies and individuals to take action globally.

This year's theme is "Ageing and health: Good health adds life to years". Ageing concerns all of us - whether young or old, male or female, rich or poor - no matter where we live. Over the past century life expectancy has increased dramatically and the world will soon have more older people than children. Populations are ageing everywhere, but less-developed countries are witnessing the fastest change. This social transformation represents both challenges and opportunities.

Important Global Facts

• The number of people today aged 60 and over has doubled since 1980.

• The number of people aged 80 years will almost quadruple to 395 million between now and 2050.

• Within the next five years, the number of adults aged 65 and over will outnumber children under the age of 5.

• By 2050, these older adults will outnumber all children under the age of 14.

• The majority of older people live in low- or middle-income countries. By, 2050, this number will have increased to 80 percent.

Healthy Aging

It is important for us to promote healthy aging. Healthy ageing is linked to health in earlier stages of life. Undernutrition in pregnancy, for example, may increase the risk of disease in adult life, such as circulatory diseases and diabetes. Overweight or obese, adolescents run the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and musculo-skeletal disorders, in adult life.

Additionally, how well we age depends on many factors. The functional capacity of an individual's biological system increases during the first years of life; reaches its peak in early adulthood and declines thereafter. The rate of decline is determined in part, by our behaviours and exposures across the whole life course. These include what we eat, how physically active we are and our exposure to health risks such as those caused by smoking, harmful consumption of alcohol, or exposure to toxic substances.

Effects of population aging

With this new "aging population", we may face new challenges. Most older people die of noncommunicable diseases however, older people often have several health problems at the same time, such as diabetes and heart disease.

The number of people living with disability is increasing due to population ageing and because of the greater risk of chronic health problems. Many require some form of long-term care, which can include home nursing, community care and assisted living, residential care and long stays in hospitals.

Worldwide, there will be a dramatic increase in the number of people with dementias such as Alzheimer's disease, as people live longer. Unfortunately, many older people are also at risk of maltreatment at home or in institutions.

What can we do to ensure that "Good Health adds life to years"?

We must promote health throughout the entire course of our lives. We must also create age-friendly environments that foster the health and involvement of older people. The provision of access to basic primary health care, long-term care and palliative are also extremely important.

The value of older persons must be acknowledged in our societies while encouraging them to be active in family and community activities. Our governments should also to implement innovative plans to ensure good health for the elderly and take action now to address public health challenges related to population ageing.

Societies who take care of their older populations, and support their active participation in daily life, will be better prepared to manage the changing world.