S'poreans face lowered risk of dying young

ST Jun 25, 2010

Study says mortality rate is down sharply from 1970; average life expectancy is 81

By Victoria Vaughan

SINGAPOREANS are among the least likely in the world to die early, and the country's mortality rate has gone down by a significant margin compared with that 40 years ago, according to a study reported in top medical journal The Lancet.

Today, Singaporeans can expect to live to an average age of 81, which is a 15-year increase from 1970, when the average life expectancy was 66.

Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) said this improvement was due to people here having improved nutrition. It also cited other factors such as advancements in health care, control of infectious diseases and the promotion of healthy living.

Singapore also greatly lowered its mortality rates in some of the main killers here - heart disease, cancer, stroke and accidents or violence.

The study, conducted by the University of Washington and Harvard University in the United States, looked at how the risk of dying young, among those between the ages of 15 and 60 years old, has changed over the past 40 years.

It studied a total of 187 countries. Worldwide death rates for men dropped by 19 per cent and 34 per cent for women from 1970 to this year.

Singapore is ranked the 16th-best nation for men's mortality rate, while it came in 14th for women's. These rankings were a marked improvement from a similar study in 1970 which placed Singapore 72nd and 62nd, respectively.

Japan and South Korea were the only Asian countries to be ranked higher than Singapore.

Iceland's men and Cyprus' women had the lowest risk of early death. On the other end of the scale, people living in African nations Swaziland and Zambia were most at risk of dying young.

Although Singapore has moved up the rankings, MOH said it was important not to be complacent. 'Singapore needs to continue with its effort to combat the associated risk factors of cancer and heart disease as these lifestyle diseases are the main cause of early deaths among adults between 15 and 60 years of age in Singapore today,' said its spokesman.

Three in five deaths here are due to cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Dr Paul Chiam, a consultant cardiologist at the National Heart Centre, said that as Singapore has become more industrialised, the causes of death in the younger population from infectious disease and accidents have declined. But Western diets, sedentary and stressful lifestyles, and smoking have contributed to heart disease becoming one of the leading causes of death here, he added.

Dr Chiam said that public education on leading a healthy lifestyle, and encouragement to go for screenings to detect high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, were important in combating death from heart disease.

But a less positive effect of a reduction in early death among adults is the burgeoning older population in Singapore.

There are now about eight young people to every elderly person, compared with 10 to one in 1999.

Sociology associate professor Paulin Straughan of the National University of Singapore (NUS) said that Singapore must focus on caring for this ageing population.

'When you have increasing life expectancy and a consistently low total fertility rate, the old-age dependency ratio is not very favourable.

'With the increase of singles and of single-child families, we have to be prepared to deal with an ageing population where the social support from the family is going to be very stressed,' said Prof Straughan, adding that retirement communities and residential care would need to be relooked.

'We need to have the infrastructure for Singaporeans to grow old gracefully and be prepared that many will do so on their own, without family or a spouse.'

She added it was important to note that although many people are living longer, they often have health issues.

Singapore's health-care system needs to have the capacity to cope with long-term disability and palliative care which will be expensive, she said.

Professor Chia Keen Seng, head of the department of epidemiology and public health at NUS, said the key challenge was to prevent disease as the population ages.

'We're going very well at delivering health care... but I think there is a lot that can be done in prevention.'

vvaughan@sph.com.sg

1. What were some of the reasons cited for Singaporeans facing lower risk of dying young?

2. What were some of the challenges Singapore face with improvement in life expectancy?

Tony

Why the global struggle against deforestation matters, and how you can help

This 2005 photograph shows a deforested region of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The country is targeting an 80 per cent reduction of forest clearing by 2020, and has also begun replanting deforested areas of the Amazon with palm trees. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

What is deforestation?

It is the removal and destruction of trees through logging or burning by subsistence farmers, commercial agriculturalists and loggers.

Usually results in 90 per cent of the forest canopy being depleted.

Why does it happen?

Forests are cleared for agricultural activities like palm oil, pulp and paper production.

Increasing demand for land for urban use.

Forest fires and overgrazing.

Illegal logging.

How bad is it?

Deforestation rates have risen by 8.5 per cent between 2000 and 2005.

Every year, some 13 million ha of forests are cut down or burnt off. While forests expand naturally, the earth still sees a net loss of 5.2 million ha of forests every year.

South America and Africa are suffering the biggest losses of forests.

Where are the most forested areas?

The Russian Federation, Brazil, Canada, the United States and China

Forests in these countries account for over half of the world's total forest area of just over 4 billion ha.

Why is it important to keep forests?

Forests cool the earth and reduce extreme temperature fluctuations, hence reducing climate change.

They are a major component of the water cycle which prevents forests from turning into barren deserts.

Source of wood and non-wood products.

They help conserve soil, water and forest biological diversity.

Perform social and cultural functions, like recreation, tourism, education and heritage.

Source of forestry employment.

What is being done to control deforestation?

Indonesia has announced a two-year moratorium on new concessions that would convert virgin forests and peatlands into plantations.

Brazil plans to reduce forest clearing by 80 per cent by 2020.

Bolivia will plant 10 million trees by April next year.

Australia says it will ban illegal timber imports.

Uganda has started a campaign to plant 33 million trees by May next year.

Nigeria has passed a new law that increases fines for indiscriminate bush burning and felling of trees.

But what about the rich countries?

The US, Australia, France, Japan, Britain, Germany and Norway have agreed to pay US$4 billion (S$5.6 billion) in total to protect rainforests over the next three years.

The private sector is also contributing. Billionaire George Soros and Prince Charles' Rainforest Project plan to reduce deforestation worldwide by 25 per cent by 2015.

What is the rate of progress now?

Brazil has started replanting deforested areas of the Amazon with palm trees. Some 32 million ha of land have been identified for the project.

Large-scale tree planting programmes in China, India, the US and Vietnam, together with natural expansion, have added more than 7 million ha of new forests every year.

Yearly net losses of forests have dropped from 8.3 million ha in the 1990s, to 5.2 million ha between 2000 and 2010.

What can you do?

Use recycled notebooks, toilet paper or even shopping bags.

Print on both sides of the paper.

Do not buy furniture or other wood products made from rainforest trees, like mahogany or teak, unless you are sure it is produced sustainably.

Avoid products that require trees to be cut down unnecessarily, such as palm oil products.