Why are the Japanese so long-lived? It is one of the questions that experts try to answer this week participating in a special issue of The Lancet magazine about the last fifty years of healing in Japan. The first study, led by Kenji Shibuya, a researcher at the University of Tokyo (Japan), shows the rapid increase in life expectancy during the 1950s and 1960s, as the first infectious diseases decreased and mortality from heart attack fell. The introduction of universal health coverage in 1961 made equal opportunities in health promotion possible. The authors emphasize "how the experience of the country can be an important resource for the global health community that transcends geographical, social, cultural and political borders, which helps to understand and improve the health of the population throughout the world."
Today the Japanese go to the doctor an average of 13.4 times a year, more than double the residents of the United Kingdom (5 times). In addition, some companies fund comprehensive medical reviews (known as Ningen dock) to prevent the development of chronic diseases and detect cancer in its earliest stages.
Future advances in Japanese longevity depend on the prevention of the most important risk factors for chronic diseases, such as tobacco consumption, obesity, and uncontrolled blood pressure. The treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection (which has a large presence in several Asian countries) should also be controlled. ? With the success obtained during the health transition after the Second World War, Japan needs to face more important challenges derived from a rapidly aging population, causes that can not be attributed to health technology and the effects of a growing social disparity to sustain the improvement of the health of the population ?, the authors conclude, according to the SINC agency.
Long-term care insurance and Fukushima
As the elderly population of Japan continues to grow, their attention needs are increasing in the same way. In 2000, Japan began mandatory long-term care insurance (LCTI) to help older people lead more independent lives and ease the burden of family caregivers. The fourth article in The Lancet Series of Japan reflects the effect of LCTI on the future of elderly care in the country.
Currently, 23% of the Japanese population is 65 or older. However, in the year 2050, the population with this age will represent 40% of the total. More than half of the nation's elders (57%) do not report financial problems, much better than the US (36%) and France (18%). 85% of the elderly Japanese do not have any impediment to their daily life, compared to 65% in the USA.
The authors conclude that the first decade of operation of the LCTI "has proven to be effective and manageable" and affirm that "the Japanese approach, with services designed specifically for the elderly, is the direct solution to the difficulty of governments to deal with the growing number of elderly people. "
With the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 in Japan, the threat posed by natural disasters has once again been placed in the spotlight. Now, six months after the disaster, the country must occupy a central place in global health to help other countries. This is indicated by another article in The Lancet Series, led by Professor Kenji Shibuya.
The researchers state that "Japan should actively share with the international community its accumulated knowledge to strengthen global health", adding that the country should be involved in helping Asian developing countries achieve universal coverage and the Millennium Development Goals. This wealth of knowledge represents an almost unlimited source, is the time to act?
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