Spaniards live longer than EU average, but with worse health

Madrid, Agency
While Spaniards have a life expectancy of 81.1 years, better than the average for the 27-member European Union, many in Spain suffer from poor health in their later years.

The data is collected in the document entitled "Health indicators 2009: Evolution of health indicators in Spain and their magnitude in the context of the European Union," made public by the Health and Social Policy Ministry and analyzed on Monday by the Federation of Associations for the Defense of Public Health.

The average number of years that Spaniards are expected to live with health problems is 25.7 - that is, 20.6 years for men and 30.9 years for women.

The report confirms, according to the federation, that women live longer than men, but they also spend their lives in worse health.

Another relevant fact is that life expectancy with good health rose for men between 2002 and 2007 by 0.9 years, but not for women, for whom it decreased by 0.5 years during the period.

Between 1990 and 2007, the mortality index adjusted by age fell about 27 percent for both sexes.

Infant and perinatal mortality declined and now stands below the EU average.

The proportion of people who get sick in one location within a specific time is calculated according to the rate of hospital releases, which between 1990 and 2007 grew steadily.

The hospital releases after circulatory problems increased by 75 percent, 50 percent for cancer, 30 percent for digestive ailments; 65 percent for respiratory problems and 90 percent for muscular-skeletal diseases.

There was a significant decline in preventable illnesses by means of vaccinations - including measles, German measles (or rubella), and hepatitis - but the rate of infectious diseases like AIDS remained steady or increased.

The report found that 8.6 percent of the population in 2008 said they were suffering from some type of disability, with 7 percent of men claiming that was the case and 10.1 percent of women.

Meanwhile, 73 percent of men said they were in good or very good health, compared with 61 percent of women, a few percentage points lower than in 2001.

The report also emphasizes that Spain ranks third among countries in terms of the percentage of people who consume alcohol daily - with 25 percent of the population doing so - although such consumption is declining, especially in terms of the percentage of what are termed excessive drinkers.

Although the consumption of tobacco is declining moderately, the report found that there has been an increase in smoking among women over 45 and among females of all ages with limited education.