06 HEAltH MAttErS
the health of
the natIon
Our population is currently one of the youngest in Europe, so we have a great opportunity to improve
the health of young and middle aged people so that they will reach old age in a healthier state than
previous generations, writes Dr Pat Doorley, National Director of Population Health for the HSE.
t
he HSE recently published the Health to each other, in Ireland the birth rate is Death rates from circulatory disease,
Status of the Population of Ireland over twice the death rate and the two are which includes heart disease, high blood
report, which paints a picture of now diverging. pressure, and diseases of the blood
the health of the nation, outlines the main the infant death rate is another important vessels, have shown a particularly dramatic
influences on health, trends over time, indicator, which is taken to reflect the drop over the last few decades. In the
international comparisons, and finally the underlying health and wellbeing of a period 1985–2000 it is estimated by
challenges that need to be met to achieve population. these rates, which have for researchers that there were over 3,700
our health potential. many decades been good by international fewer deaths than there would have been,
Health status is one of the key indicators standards, have now fallen to an all time had the rates of heart disease in 1985
of the progress of a nation. For that low at 3.7 per 1,000 live births, which is continued unchanged. About 44 per cent
reason, the united Nations Development below the EU average. of this improvement has been attributed
Programme includes life expectancy at birth the principal causes of death in Ireland to health services treatments such as
as one of the most important parameters of are: Diseases of the circulatory system; coronary artery by pass surgery, stents
its Human Development Index. The mission cancers; diseases of the respiratory system and medical treatment of heart disease.
of the Health Service Executive (HSE) is to and injury and poisoning (see chart below). Health-related lifestyle patterns such as
enable people to live healthier and more
fulfilled lives. the purpose of this report is
to give a picture of the health status of our
Main Causes of Death in Ireland, 2007
population and the challenges that need to
be met to achieve our health potential.
Health status in Ireland is at an all
time high, with particularly significant
improvement in recent years. life
expectancy at birth, for example, has
increased by about three years over the
course of a decade. this means that we
have come from being close to the bottom
of the EU league table for life expectancy
to a position close to the Eu-15 average.
the rate of premature deaths has also
declined rapidly and is now lower than the
Eu-15 average.
In contrast to the rest of the EU,
where death rates and birth rates are
approximately the same and run parallel
health matters is 4.indd 6 27/11/2009 20:34:40
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