national prevention strategy for a healthy lifestyle
cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases - the impact of these diseases noncommunicable (MNT) is constantly rising in industrialized countries. The Federal Office of Public Health (BAG) is therefore in the process of developing a national prevention strategy to improve the competence of the health of the population and encourage healthier behavior . Attention focuses, among others, the main risk factors for these diseases that are related to personal behavior -. Ie, smoking, poor diet, physical inactivity and the harmful use of alcohol
In this context private Docent Brian Martin and colleagues at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) at the University of Zurich examined the effects of these four factors - both individual and combined - on life expectancy. For the first time the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle can be represented in number. A person who smokes, drinks a lot, physically inactive and unhealthy food was 2.5 times higher risk of mortality in epidemiological terms that an individual who looks at his health. Or to put it positively: "A healthy lifestyle can help you stay ten years" young, "says senior author Eva Martin-Diener
The analysis of data from the Swiss cohort
for the study, researchers used data from the Swiss national cohort (CNS). The Zurich public health physicians focus on cardiovascular disease and cancer because they represent most of the deaths in Switzerland. The researchers were able to correlate data on tobacco consumption, the consumption of fruits, physical activity and alcohol consumption from 16.721 participants between 16 and 0 from 1977 to 1993 with the corresponding deaths until 08 . the impact of the four forms of behavior was still visible when the biological risk factors such as weight and blood pressure were taken into account.
"The effect of each factor on the life expectancy is relatively high," said Eva Martin-Diener. But smoking seems to be the most harmful. Compared to a group of non-smokers, smokers have a risk 57 percent more likely to die prematurely. The impact of poor diet, not enough sports and alcohol abuse carries a high risk of mortality of about 15 percent for each factor. "We were very surprised by the 2.5 times higher risk when the four risk factors are combined," says Brian Martin. Therefore, the probability of a 75 year old man with all the risk factors surviving the next ten years, for example, 35 percent, without risk factors of 67 percent -. For a woman of 47 and 74 percent respectively
effects only appear in later life
According to Martin unhealthy lifestyle especially a long-term impact . While high consumption of wine, cigarettes, poor diet and physical inactivity had almost no effect on mortality among the 45 to 55 years, it has a visible effect of 65 to 75 years. The likelihood of a man of 75, with none of the four risk factors for surviving the next ten years is 67 percent, exactly the same as the risk for a smoker who is ten years younger, do not exercise, eat unhealthily and drink a lot.
social and public health physicians represent the dependence of life expectancy and the four risk behaviors age groups in what is called the graphics survival. The impact of individual risk factors and their combined effect on mortality are visible at a glance. "In the future, doctors will be able to view the tables easy to understand by giving health advice to their patients in primary care," says Eva Martin-Diener with confidence. "In addition, they may also be important for political discussions prevention strategies for noncommunicable diseases. "
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