The Lancet published the 'Global Burden of Disease Study 2013' revealing a significant shift in pattern of disease prevalence since the year 1990. Back then India was struggling to reduce mortality due to diseases like measles and diarrhoea. Today, we see an 83 percent and 51 percent reductions in mortality due to those disease, respectively, from 1990 to 2013. (Read: 5 lifestyle diseases that are common in India)
Analysing data obtained from 188 countries, involving over 700 study teams, the study noted that today the world is gripped by lifestyle disorders. Ischemic heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - together were revealed as the biggest killers, together accounting for 32 percent of all deaths in the year 2013. (Read: Lifestyle diseases on the rise in urban India)
Here are some other significant findings of the study:
Overall, child and adult mortality in India since 1990 has reduced greatly. Today, adults and children are living longer and healthier lives than two decades earlier. Global life expectancy for both sexes increased from 65.3 years in 1990 to 71.5 years in 2013 and women made slightly greater gains than men.
The average yearly rates of decline in mortality have been 3.7 percent per year for children and 1.3 percent per year for adults.
Although causes of death were found to vary globally, the most common causes were found to be drug abuse and chronic kidney disease. These two accounted for some of the largest percentage of increases in premature deaths since 1990.
According to the study led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, among cancers, death rate due to pancreatic cancer and kidney cancer have increased.
However, death rates due to some cancers have fallen. Lung cancer death rate dropped by 9 percent, breast cancer by 18 percent, and leukemia by 20 percent.
Between 1990 and 2013, life expectancy at birth increased from 57.3 years to 64.2 years for males and from 58.2 years to 68.5 years for females. Female life expectancy at birth increased by 6.6 years and male life expectancy by 5.8 years. According to the study, if trends continues, by 2030, global female life expectancy will be 85.3 years and male life expectancy will be 78.1 years.
The average age of death increased from 46.7 in 1990 to 59.3 in 2013, as a result of declining fertility and a demographic shift in the world's population to older ages. Partly because of global population growth, the number of deaths in both sexes for all ages combined increased from 47.5 million to 54.9 million. (Read: Heart disease in India 6 shocking facts you should know)
'People today are less likely than their parents to die from certain conditions, but there are more people of older ages throughout the world,' said IHME director Christopher Murray.
'It is very encouraging that adults and children in the country are living healthier lives. But India's growing influence on global health means we must do more to address the diseases that kill people prematurely,' said Jeemon Panniyammakal of the Public Health Foundation of India and a co-author of the study.
With inputs from IANS
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