Press Releases
International Study Shows Great Reduction in Adult Mortality Risk in Singapore
24 June 2010
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24 Jun 2010
Singaporeans enjoy a high level of health. Our infant mortality, at about 2 deaths in 1,000 infants under 1 year of age, is amongst the lowest in the world. Our life expectancy at birth has over the past 40 years, increased by 15 years from 66 years in 1970 to 81 years today, among the highest in the world.
2 A recent Lancet study1 looked at how adult mortality risk (defined as the risk of dying young, between the ages of 15 and 60 years) had changed over the past 40 years in 187 countries, including Singapore.
3 Adult mortality measures the risk of deaths of adults in the prime of their life. It complements the more traditional measures of population health such as infant mortality, childhood mortality and life expectancy.
4 The Lancet study observed that the changes in adult mortality risk were not uniform among nations: it had increased (i.e. worsened with more dying before 60) in some countries, while it had decreased in many others. Among those with decreased adult mortality risk, the degree of reduction varied. The study showed that Singapore had made remarkable progress in reducing our adult mortality over the last four decades.
Findings from the Lancet study
5 According to the Lancet study, our adult mortality risk has dropped by about two-thirds, over the past 40 years.
6 As a result, we have moved up in our ranking of countries with lowest adult mortality risk. In 1970, Singapore was ranked 72nd for men and 62nd for women. We are now 16th for men and 14th for women in 2010.
7 Details can be found in the occasional paper accompanying this press statement. Importance of healthy lifestyle
8 There is still room for us to make progress in reducing our adult mortality risk; we must not be complacent. We need to press on with our healthy lifestyle campaign: eat healthily, exercise regularly, do not smoke, go for regular health screening and manage any chronic disease well.
MINISTRY OF HEALTH
1 Worldwide mortality in men and women aged 15-59 years from 1970 to 2010: a systematic analysis. Rajaratnam JK, Marcus JR, Levin-Rector A, Chalupka AN, Wang H, Dwyer L, Costa M, Lopez AD, Murray CJ. Lancet. 2010 May 15;375(9727):1704-20.