Italy - UK Partnership

PARTNERSHIP | Summer 2019 12 Bloomberg’s Healthiest Country Index The importance of the Mediterranean diet and of universal care E very year the world’s countries are ranked in indexes according to various factors. The United Nations’ Human Development Index analyses how countries with the same Gross National Income (GNI) have different human development outcomes; the Global Wellness Index by the investment firm LetterOne tracks, among other metrics, each country’s blood pressure, glucose, obesity and tobacco use; the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality of Life, instead, forecasted which country will provide the best opportunities for those born in 2013 – just to mention a few. The results are discordant every time, as it appears impossible to assess a country combining the GDP measure with other non-monetary variables, which are too many to consider. One of the latest indexes was published by the global information and technology company Bloomberg in February 2019. The study, The Healthiest Country Index - 2019 Edition, aimed at evaluating 169 countries examining those elements that contribute to overall health. Spain came in first place, gaining 5 positions since 2017 surpassing Italy, which now appears as second. There are 4 other European countries in the top 10: Iceland (3rd), Switzerland (5th), Sweden (6th) and Norway (9th). The remaining top 10 positions are filled by Japan (4th), Australia (7th), Singapore (8th) and Israel (10th). The United Kingdom was 19th. THE ASSESSMENT Bloomberg analysed life expectancy in each country – Spain, for instance, had the highest with an average of 86 years. Life expectancy at birth was also considered, which is highest in Japan and Switzerland. The countries were assessed considering the so-called environmental/ exogenous factors, such as whether people have access to clean water, clean air and to sanitation facilities. Furthermore, Bloomberg considered behavioural/endogenour factors, i.e. human habits: the level of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity rate and even the vaccine coverage. Other health conditions were taken into account, among which were high rates of obesity, high blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol, malnutrition rates. THE DETERMINING FACTORS Focusing on the first countries, it appears that the Mediterranean diet is still, as many already know, one important component to consider for a healthy lifestyle. The diet rich of olive oil, nuts, fruit, vegetables and fish reduces the risks of diabetes, prevents obesity, high blood pressure and – according to the latest studies – might fight depression as well. Another important element is the presence of universal healthcare systems. It is to be noted, for example, that Cuba was 5 places ahead of the U.S. thanks to their focus on preventative care, while the U.S. (35th in the list) has a major focus on diagnosing and treating illness. In both Spain and Italy, primary care is organised by public providers who can provide preventative care to their citizens. ·