The European health report responds to the statutory requirements to provide the member states with essential public health information. The report analyses a decade of evidence on health in the Region, which embraces 51 WHO Member States with some 870 million people. While overall levels of health in the Region are among the highest in the world, the report describes widening gaps between and within countries. It confirms the strong links between socioeconomic development, health and equity in the WHO European Region. The report builds on the view that health policies cannot be isolated from other policy sectors: One central task in improving health is to reduce socioeconomic inequalities, thus placing health in the context of human development. The link between health and employment, income maintenance, social welfare, housing and education is crucial in all European Member States. The report focuses on concrete evidence useful for decision-makers in public health. Its role is to summarize and feed back to Member States the information created, deposited and accredited during the Regional Office's work with Member States on key topics and issues in public health in Europe, in the context of the values and principles of WHO as one Organization.

The world is living dangerously - either because it has little choice or because it is making the wrong choices -- Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland WHO Director-General

During the last 25 years, life expectancy at age 50 in the United States has been rising, but at a slower pace than in many other high-income countries, such as Japan and Australia. This difference is particularly notable given that the United States spends more on health care than any other nation. Concerned about this divergence, the National Institute on Aging asked the National Research Council to examine evidence on its possible causes. According to Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries, the nation's history of heavy smoking is a major reason why lifespans in the United States fall short of those in many other high-income nations. Evidence suggests that current obesity levels play a substantial part as well. The book reports that lack of universal access to health care in the U.S. also has increased mortality and reduced life expectancy, though this is a less significant factor for those over age 65 because of Medicare access. For the main causes of death at older ages-cancer and cardiovascular disease-available indicators do not suggest that the U.S. health care system is failing to prevent deaths that would be averted elsewhere. In fact, cancer detection and survival appear to be better in the U.S. than in most other high-income nations, and survival rates following a heart attack also are favorable. Explaining Divergent Levels of Longevity in High-Income Countries identifies many gaps in research. For instance, while lung cancer deaths are a reliable marker of the damage from smoking, no clear-cut marker exists for obesity, physical inactivity, social integration, or other risks considered in this book. Moreover, evaluation of these risk factors is based on observational studies, which-unlike randomized controlled trials-are subject to many biases.

The publication of the European Health Report every three years gives readers (including policy-makers, politicians, public health specialists and journalists) a vital snapshot of health in the WHO European Region and progress towards health and well-being for all. The report also shows trends in and progress towards the goals of Health 2020, the European health policy, and reveals some gaps in progress, inequalities and areas of concern and uncertainty, where action must be taken.

The global burden of disease: 2004 update is a comprehensive assessment of the health of the world's population. It provides detailed global and regional estimates of premature mortality, disability and loss of health for 135 causes by age and sex, drawing on extensive WHO databases and on information provided by Member States.--Publisher description.

This report sets out a current review of the health situation in the 52 countries in the WHO Europe region, focusing particularly on child and adolescent health and development issues. It examines the major causes of the burden of disease and key preventable risk factors, as well as considering effective policy responses. The report also includes statistical tables used as the basis of its conclusions, as well as definitions of terms used.