New Research Highlights Life Expectancy is Shorter in The Tropics
A world-wide initiative to define the challenges facing the peoples of the tropics was launched today by 13 leading research institutions across 12 countries.
The group has released an early insight of its planned State of the Tropics Report with details of why life expectancy is lower in the region than in the rest of the world.
The full report to be published next year will shine a light on the critical importance of the people and issues of the tropical world, and contribute to efforts to improve the lives of the peoples of the Tropics and their environment.
The 13 institutions involved are:
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, England;
- Escuela Superior Politiécnica del Litorial in Ecuador;
- James Cook University, Australia;
- Mahidol University, Thailand;
- Singapore’s National University and the Nanyang Technological University;
- Organisation for Tropical Studies, Costa Rican hub;
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark;
- University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA;
- University of Nairobi, Kenya;
- University of Papua New Guinea;
- University of the South Pacific, Fiji;
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Brazil.
The first of four early insights ahead of the State of the Tropics Report was released today in Nairobi, Kenya, by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi, Professor George Magoha.
The Director of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Professor Janet Hemingway CBE, said “As the oldest school of tropical medicine in the world, we are acutely aware of how life expectancy is impacted by poor health outcomes. This first insight on life expectancy in the Tropics showed significant improvements over the past 60 years. But there is still a substantial gap between the Tropics and the rest of the world.
“With more than one billion people suffering from tropical diseases, this project will give us a baseline not only on the health issues but also the economic and political challenges we face in our efforts to improve the lives of the peoples of the tropics.”
The insight published today reveals that life expectancy in the Tropics has increased by 22.8 years to 64.4 years between 1950 and 2010 and the gap between the life expectancy of women and men has widened in favor of women over the same period.
