After 60, death on the fast lane in Kerala
Rapid urbanisation and the explosion of lifestyle diseases like diabetes seem to be finally taking its toll on the health of the state.
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s famed life expectancy, which is still the best at birth (74.9), drops dangerously after 60 years. Once a Keralite reaches 60 years of age, it has now been revealed, both the male and female of the tribe die faster than is expected. Sexagenarians and septuagenarians in states with lower life expectancy at birth, like Uttarakhand, Punjab or Haryana, are living longer than Keralites.
Rapid urbanisation and the explosion of lifestyle diseases like diabetes seem to be finally taking its toll on the health of the state.
The latest figures put out by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the custodian of Census data, show that Kerala stands fifth when it comes to life expectancy at 60, and sixth when it comes to life expectancy at 70.
(Life expectancy at a particular age is the average number of years a person is expected to live after that age.)
Kerala’s life expectancy at 60 is 20, meaning an average Malayali sexagenarian is expected to live another 20 years. Sexagenarians in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarkhand, Punjab and Delhi live longer; those in the strife-torn J&K are expected to last the longest (21.1 years more). Kerala’s life expectancy at 70 is 12.9, which means an average Malayali septuagenarian is expected to live another 12.9 years.
Septuagenarians in Uttarkhand, J&K, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi live longer; those in Uttarkhand living the longest (14.5 years more). This looks like a paradox. The state that has the highest per capita public (Rs 287) and private expenditure (Rs 2,663) on health is finding that the health of its elders are swiftly deteriorating.
But here are certain facts that could provide a glimpse of the rot that lies hidden within the state’s seemingly evergreen ‘Dorion Gray’ health model. It is not Gujarat or Maharashtra that has witnessed the most rapid urbanisation. It is Kerala. The state saw its share of urban population to total population increase from 26 per cent in 2001 (8.27 million) to 47.7 per cent in 2011 (15.9 million). Studies have shown that urbanisation impacts adversely on the health of population.
What's more, Kerala has long been a den of lifestyle diseases. Men in urban Kerala (between 15-49 years) have the highest incidence of high blood sugar: 5,056 per 100,000 as against the national average of 1,383 i.e. almost four times. Women in urban Kerala also reported a very high incidence of diabetes: 3,033 per 100,000 as against the national average of 1,374.
A study published in 2013 by UK-based BioMed Central pointed out that physical inactivity and sedentary living among both genders was highest in Kerala. It also states that Keralites spend five times more on television sets, 10-15 times more on motorcycles and 430-1,250 times more on cars as compared to the rest of India," the study reported. In short, Malayali is the most sedentary being in the country, and it is showing on their health.