Assignment on Tackling Premature Mortality

TACKLING PREMATURE MORTALITY
1

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Reflection on dealing with premature mortality........................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
Reference list............................................................................................................................10
2

Introduction
Premature mortality is a measure of the unfulfilled life expectancy of a person. This is
because the deaths of young people can be prevented, which can help to reduce the premature
rate of mortality. There are different causes of premature death that include high blood
pressure, drinking, drug addiction, and pollution. However, prevention steps like proper diet
and exercise can help to reduce the risk of premature deaths. The government can devise
different measures like providing education, preventing communicable diseases and
organizing health camps at remote places. Loss of middle-aged family members has proved
to be devastating for a family in terms of economic reasons. Moreover, loss of childhood and
education, the poor mental health of family members are often recorded for premature deaths.
In this essay, critical reflection has been done on the ways of dealing with premature
mortality. Different international and national evidence about tackling premature mortality
are used while discussing the topic.
Reflection on dealing with premature mortality
There are many factors that can cause premature mortality and managing these factors wisely
can help to tackle premature mortality. These causes include high blood pressure, smoking,
physical inactivity, heavy drinking, high level of cholesterol and obesity. As opined by
Stringhini et al. (2017), improving health service can help to prevent incidents of premature
mortality. Governments of different countries have taken several initiatives to encourage
people to improve their health quality to prevent events of premature deaths. These initiatives
have made remarkable progress and in the year 2014, the life expectancy of the globe has
increased to 70. However, Price et al. (2016) have contradicted that there are still various
health issues that are causing death at relatively early ages. More than 192 national
governments and the United Nations are working on this matter to reduce the rate of
premature death. Many proposals are there including prevention of malaria, preventing infant
death and vaccination. Ward et al. (2017) have argued that everyone must focus on
strengthening the health system of countries. If everyone gets equal opportunities to access
health services, premature deaths can be avoided by the people of this planet.
It can be seen that low-income countries are facing a maximum number of events of
premature deaths. In 2015, more than 9 million people from developing countries including
Haiti, Uganda, Bangladesh, India, and others. It is expected that the rate of premature
mortality may fall from 28 million to 24 million each year by the end of 2030
(Economictimes.indiatimes.com, 2015). It has become essential for the government of
countries to take initiatives to make people aware of the harmful effect of having an
3

imbalanced diet, consumption of alcohol, drugs and lack of physical activities. Public Health
England (PHE) has taken initiative in 2015 to report on the impact of alcohol consumption on
health. This approach has helped to make maximum people aware of the harmful effects of
alcohol and reduce the rate of premature deaths from liver diseases (Ias.org.uk, 2018).
Reducing alcohol consumption may improve the quality of life of the target population and
they can live longer lives. PHE has successfully introduced alcohol care teams in hospital
settings to provide services and care to the community. In England, specialists alcohol
treatment is available and alcohol risk assessment implementation has begun from 2013
within the health check of NHS. The government of this country is continuously supporting
the agenda of reducing premature deaths from liver disease by providing funds.
In Australia, the government of this country is aware of the possible causes of early deaths
and they are suggesting people maintain certain disciplines to stay healthy and live longer. As
mentioned by Pryor et al. (2017), smokers must quit smoking to avoid cardiovascular deaths
and people with higher blood pressure needs to lose bodyweight by doing enough physical
activities. Australians eat fresh vegetables and fruits to stay fit and healthy. A healthy
dietary system of Australian people has strengthened the immune system and it can reduce
the rate of premature mortality in Australia. On the other hand, Xie et al.(2016) have
mentioned that changing the lifestyle must be done under the observation of a doctor as it is a
risky procedure. As per the Australian government, non-smokers, regular exercise and limited
alcohol consumption can help a person to avoid premature death. Hence, in another way, it
can be stated that improving health can result in increasing the living age of individuals.
Dieticians Association of Australia is always available to help people to have healthy eating
habits for reducing the rate of premature deaths. Additionally, local community health centers
of Australia are collaborating with the government to help in this manner.
Obesity is another cause of premature deaths as it gives birth to several health issues
including high blood pressure, abnormal heart rate, and many others. Governments are taking
initiatives to make people aware of the harmful effects of obesity on life expectancy. As
stated by John et al. (2018), Livelighter is an innovative campaign that has been started in
2012 in Australia. This campaign aims to make people aware of a healthy lifestyle. It has
included key messages portrayed by previous campaigns including Find 30, Go for 2&5 and
others. This campaign aims to help people to improve their lifestyle in terms of food
consumption and physical activities. On the other hand, Walter et al. (2017) have mentioned
that the UK spent millions on their anti-obesity campaign and this approach is helping this
country to reduce the rate of premature deaths. Reportedly, in 2008, the government of this
4

country has spent more than 74 million on a particular anti-obesity campaign. 'Walking into
Heath' is another campaign that has been initiated to encourage people to walk around a
kilometer each day to maintain healthy body weight. Similarly, other countries of this globe
are taking initiatives of a campaign to aware people of the importance of maintaining a
healthy body weight to avoid premature deaths. Maintaining a required body weight helps
people maintain a balanced heart rate and blood pressure. At this condition, the body
becomes immune and it helps individuals to fight with harmful diseases.
Maintaining a normal level of blood pressure is another approach to tackling the issues of
premature mortality. According to Mäki and Martikainen (2016), if people can maintain the
normal blood pressure ratio, it will be easier for them to live longer. Shaping the treatment of
high blood pressure by 70% may play a vital role in extending the life expectancy of more
than 39.3 million people in the world. Many countries are spreading awareness regarding the
importance of blood pressure control. On the contrary, Tikkanen-Dolenc et al.(2017) have
mentioned that it is a big challenge to incorporate this approach into practice. However,
several countries have taken initiatives to mitigate this challenge. In Northern California, the
Kaiser Permanente program has successfully increased the control over hypertension by near
about 90%. More than thousands of patients of the health system from 2001 to 2013 have
been included within this program. Several strategies have been used in this program to
control the blood pressure of participants. These strategies include user-friendly services,
improved protocols of treatment, healthcare system to control hypertension. Many countries
are spreading awareness about consuming a healthy diet and doing regular exercise to control
the blood pressure level. Different campaigns are taking place to help people deal with daily
life stressors so that they can live longer with a normal rate of blood pressure. Hence, it can
be said by reviewing the results of this program that this kind of program must be arranged to
reduce the rate of premature mortality due to diseases of blood pressure.
In other European countries like Scotland, the premature mortality rate has been reduced until
2014. However, in 2015 the premature rate of deaths has increased slightly in this country,
which has remained at a similar level until 2016 (Gov.scot, 2017). The lower level of
premature deaths in this country is due to the proper role-playing by the government. The
government of Scotland has focused totally to improve health and decrease inequalities. This
government is committed to allocate resources without any discrimination and enforce other
preventative activities equally. As said by Ghude et al. (2016), discrimination while
enforcing government policies impacts on the objective of the policy implementation. The
5

government of Scotland plays a direct role to ensure the delivery of healthcare services to all
communities for improving the health of the population.
The national institute of health and care excellence in the UK stated that two-thirds of deaths
are aged 75 or below can be avoided. Maximum deaths occurred due to the reasons for liver
failure, heart disease, and cancer that can be avoided through proper maintenance of habits
and diets. As contradicted by Plümper et al.(2018), education and economic conditions are
the main reasons that influence premature deaths. In the UK, a large number of people die
due to liver disease, heart disease and heart disease who are poor and less educated. Health
inequalities in Great Britain are a significant factor that occurs due to political factor.
However, the health department focuses on improving the condition by supplying local areas
with information for helping them in understanding their current condition. They do it by
targeting different health disparities.
For tackling premature deaths, the government of the UK has taken different measures that
have helped to increase the life expectancy rate of the population. The main causes of death
in this country are stroke, heart diseases, and cancer. Hence, the health department of the UK
has launched a strategy that consists of some course of action. The NICE (National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence) and public health of England have offered support to the
health department for improvising the strategies (Nice.org.uk, 2014). Placing local
government properly for improving public health is a strategy that is one to improve
public health among communities. According to this strategy, the local government will be
held responsible for addressing different conditions that result in premature deaths. As stated
by Shiels et al.(2017), two-thirds of deaths can be avoided through proper planning and
providing support equally. Moreover, it was found in research that 80% of premature deaths
are totally preventable through proper diagnosis and proper treatment. Hence, the local
government needs to play an effective role by assessing the needs of the local community and
framing strategies to control the outbreak of any epidemics. David et al.(2019) argued that
local government needs to respond properly for spreading preventable measures regarding
non-communicable diseases. Different diseases like respiratory and heart disease can be
controlled by restricting drug overuse and unhealthy eating habits.
NICE has also helped local administration through new public health policies. In these
policies, tobacco has been stated as a great cause of premature deaths that causes heart issues
and cancer. In the UK, near about 80 thousand people die every year due to cancer and
respiratory disease irrespective of the rich and poor. This is mainly due to smoking habits. In
these health policies, different recommendations are given that include advising smoking
6

cessation. Moreover, providing both primary and secondary supports from local care settings
to everyone who smokes regularly is necessary. As stated by Hu et al. (2017), local
policymakers and administration need to provide greater emphasis on deprived communities
such as minority ethnic groups. Different needs of these minor communities must be fulfilled
for improving their physical and mental health.
Misuse of drinking alcohol is another essential cause of premature death other than smoking
and bad nutrition. The NICE policies recommended the main executives of local
administration to prioritize the prevention of drinking to save the local population
(Nice.org.uk, 2014). Commissioners of administration need to make proper strategies, which
include screening and brief interventions for vulnerable communities. Those people need to
be given proper guidance to leave the bad habit of consuming alcohol. This can be done by
briefing them on the harmful impacts of consuming alcohol. Both adults, disadvantaged and
youths need to be included under this policy of local administration. On the other hand,
Fisher et al. (2017) contradicted that lack of planned physical activity is another essential
cause of premature mortality. The policies of NICE consist of another recommendation of
creating plans for physical activity. The local government must create different safe places
for facilitating the physical activity of local communities. As stated by Pope et al. (2016),
lack of proper physical activity creates many diseases among youths and adults. This includes
obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, consumption
of excessive junk foods, alcohol, and an unplanned diet often causes many non-
communicable diseases. Many fatal issues like stroke may happen due to obesity and high
blood pressure. A strategic approach is recommended for controlling this problem. Linking
the motives of health and wellbeing boards with disease prevention activities targeting
people who are at high risk can help to control deaths. Moreover, the strategy needs to be
sustainable for more than 5 years of time. In addition, resources need to be allocated in all
stages of planning and evaluation. Local administration ensured that the prevention process
consists of multi-component interventions that target the entire population. For example,
designing a prevention program that comprises of local policies and different regulatory
initiatives is required.
One of the objectives of the United Nations is “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being
for all at all ages.” For achieving this objective, different countries have adopted various
evidence-based policies and campaigns. Moreover, Maniecka-Bryła et al. (2018) stated that
the organization of intervention for prevention and health promotion has been done. Different
likes like France have viewed a large number of premature deaths, which has caused due to
7

smoking, poor diet, and environmental hazards. In 2016, tobacco control policies were
intervened in this country that has helped to reduce smoking habits and smoking-related
deaths. The French government has framed different guidelines that can ensure proper
implementation of policies to improve public health and achievement of goals. These
guidelines can be followed by the local administration to achieve success by the intervention
of premature deaths. Firstly, the local administrator needs to identify innovative preventive
measures and apply technologies that can be able to address common risks that cause
premature mortality. Secondly, concerned government authorities need to adopt prop[er
methodologies, which can help them to assess the complex interventions and judge, which
intervention is working properly. As opined by Naimi et al. (2019), proper assessment of
intervention helps an organization to address public health issues in a proper way and gain
desired objectives. Thirdly, it is the duty of government authorities to characterize and
identify health systems and organizations that can implement the interventions successfully
and sustainability can be maintained. This is a very essential step because the interventions
need to be promoted properly to increase knowledge about premature mortality among the
common mass. Price et al. (2016) contradicted that choosing organizations that are not
eligible can cause the failure of the intervention or health promotion process. Moreover,
inequalities can occur while the distribution of health services. Fourthly, it is the duty of the
government to ensure that interventions must be effective and promoted equally. This can
help to prevent premature death rather than increasing it. Fifthly, the administration needs to
constructively overcome the tries from vested interests to discredit researchers and their
analysis when they identify a threat. This can impact on the process of implementing
interventions to reduce deaths at an early age. Lastly, government authorities need to provide
continuous and adequate funding for this type of research. His can help to reduce the
complexity of interventions and different areas can be identified where interventions need to
be implemented. Continuous research can help to plan effectively and different advanced
interventions plan can be found through the help of research. In France, national strategies for
health research have been given the charge to identify prevention strategies as the priority.
Moreover, this same organization has been given the charge to raise adequate funds to offer
high-quality prevention strategies to the target population.
The increase of green space is a great intervention that can reduce premature death to a
greater extent and improve public health. As stated by Baker et al. (2016), half of the world's
population resides in urban areas and cities. These areas lack green spaces and affected by
pollution. This impacts health and causes many diseases like respiratory problems,
8

cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome. Many studies have found that increment of
greeneries around homes can reduce premature mortality. 0.1% increase of greenery around
500 meters of homes can reduce the premature death percentage by 4. The increase of green
space helps to reduce the impact of air pollution. Thus, fresh air can be made available to
breathe in and thus cardiovascular disease and respiratory troubles can be eliminated
(Economictimes.indiatimes.com, 2015). The government can implement urban greening
programs to increase knowledge of local communities regarding the benefits of greenery and
its impact on life. Moreover, Pryor et al. (2017) contradicted that local communities can be
involved in the program and funds need to be made available by the government. Thus, green
infrastructure in the city can be increased and death at and =early can be reduced
successfully.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the premature mortality rate can be
reduced by educating people about the ways of being healthy and fit. The government of
various countries has taken several initiatives to improve the quality of health. It has been
found that the rate of premature deaths is higher in developing low-income countries. Among
all of the countries, the UK government has taken more initiatives to remove this issue from
the community. They are providing their best effort to provide equal access to healthcare to
all people. On the other hand, they are controlling the alcohol strategy of the country.
Australia is also taking similar initiatives. It is important for all of the countries of this planet
to work on this issue and reduce the rate of premature mortality. People need to cooperate
with the government by leaving unhealthy habits to live longer and stay healthy. Hence, it
can be stated that premature mortality can be tackled if people improve their lifestyle towards
a healthier one.
9

Reference list
Baker, R., Honeyford, K., Levene, L.S., Mainous, A.G., Jones, D.R., Bankart, M.J. and
Stokes, T., 2016. Population characteristics, mechanisms of primary care and premature
mortality in England: a cross-sectional study. BMJ open, 6(2), p.e009981.
David, L.M., Ravishankara, A.R., Kodros, J.K., Pierce, J.R., Venkataraman, C. and
Sadavarte, P., 2019. Premature mortality due to PM2. 5 over India: Effect of atmospheric
transport and anthropogenic emissions. GeoHealth, 3(1), pp.2-10.
Economictimes.indiatimes.com. (2015). Improve health service to prevent premature deaths.
Available at: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-commentary/improve-health-
service-to-prevent-premature-deaths/ [Accessed on 5th January, 2020]
Fisher, M.C., Rai, S.K., Lu, N., Zhang, Y. and Choi, H.K., 2017. The unclosing premature
mortality gap in gout: a general population-based study. Annals of the rheumatic
diseases, 76(7), pp.1289-1294.
Ghude, S.D., Chate, D.M., Jena, C., Beig, G., Kumar, R., Barth, M.C., Pfister, G.G.,
Fadnavis, S. and Pithani, P., 2016. Premature mortality in India due to PM2. 5 and ozone
exposure. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(9), pp.4650-4658.
Gov.scot (2017), Reduce premature mortality, Available at:
https://www2.gov.scot/About/Performance/scotPerforms/indicator/mortality [Accessed on
5th January 2020]
Hu, J., Huang, L., Chen, M., Liao, H., Zhang, H., Wang, S., Zhang, Q. and Ying, Q., 2017.
Premature mortality attributable to particulate matter in China: source contributions and
responses to reductions. Environmental science & technology, 51(17), pp.9950-9959.
Ias.org.uk (2018), Plan to reduce premature mortality highlights alcohol, Available at:
http://www.ias.org.uk/What-we-do/Alcohol-Alert/June-2014/Plan-to-reduce-premature-
mortality-highlights-alcohol.aspx [Accessed on 5th January 2020]
John, A., McGregor, J., Jones, I., Lee, S.C., Walters, J.T., Owen, M.J., O'Donovan, M.,
DelPozo-Banos, M., Berridge, D. and Lloyd, K., 2018. Premature mortality among people
with severe mental illness—new evidence from linked primary care data. Schizophrenia
research, 199, pp.154-162.
Mäki, N.E. and Martikainen, P.T., 2016. Premature mortality after suicide attempt in relation
to living arrangements. A register-based study in Finland in 1988–2007. The European
Journal of Public Health, 27(1), pp.73-79.
10

Maniecka-Bryła, I., Paciej-Gołębiowska, P., Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk, E. and Bryła, M.,
2018. Lost life years due to premature mortality caused by diseases of the respiratory
system. Adv Clin Exp Med, 27(6), pp.741-748.
Naimi, T.S., Stadtmueller, L.A., Chikritzhs, T., Stockwell, T., Zhao, J., Britton, A., Saitz, R.
and Sherk, A., 2019. Alcohol, age, and mortality: estimating selection bias due to premature
death. Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs, 80(1), pp.63-68.
Nice.org.uk (2014), Helping to prevent death from the 'five big killers', Available at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/news/feature/helping-to-prevent-death-from-the-five-big-killers
[Accessed on 5th January 2020]
Plümper, T., Laroze, D. and Neumayer, E., 2018. Regional inequalities in premature
mortality in Great Britain. PloS one, 13(2), p.e0193488.
Pope, R.J., Butt, E.W., Chipperfield, M.P., Doherty, R.M., Fenech, S., Schmidt, A., Arnold,
S.R. and Savage, N.H., 2016. The impact of synoptic weather on UK surface ozone and
implications for premature mortality. Environmental Research Letters, 11(12), p.124004.
Price, J.H., Khubchandani, J., Price, J.A., Whaley, C. and Bowman, S., 2016. Reducing
premature mortality in the mentally ill through health promotion programs. Health promotion
practice, 17(5), pp.617-622.
Pryor, L., Da Silva, M.A. and Melchior, M., 2017. Mental health and global strategies to
reduce NCDs and premature mortality. The Lancet Public Health, 2(8), pp.e350-e351.
Shiels, M.S., Chernyavskiy, P., Anderson, W.F., Best, A.F., Haozous, E.A., Hartge, P.,
Rosenberg, P.S., Thomas, D., Freedman, N.D. and de Gonzalez, A.B., 2017. Trends in
premature mortality in the USA by sex, race, and ethnicity from 1999 to 2014: an analysis of
death certificate data. The Lancet, 389(10073), pp.1043-1054.
Stringhini, S., Carmeli, C., Jokela, M., Avendaño, M., Muennig, P., Guida, F., Ricceri, F.,
d'Errico, A., Barros, H., Bochud, M. and Chadeau-Hyam, M., 2017. Socioeconomic status
and the 25× 25 risk factors as determinants of premature mortality: a multicohort study and
meta-analysis of 1· 7 million men and women. The Lancet, 389(10075), pp.1229-1237.
Tikkanen-Dolenc, H., Wadén, J., Forsblom, C., Harjutsalo, V., Thorn, L.M., Saraheimo, M.,
Elonen, N., Tikkanen, H.O. and Groop, P.H., 2017. Physical activity reduces risk of
premature mortality in patients with type 1 diabetes with and without kidney
disease. Diabetes Care, 40(12), pp.1727-1732.
Walter, F., Carr, M.J., Mok, P.L., Astrup, A., Antonsen, S., Pedersen, C.B., Shaw, J. and
Webb, R.T., 2017. Premature mortality among patients recently discharged from their first
inpatient psychiatric treatment. JAMA psychiatry, 74(5), pp.485-492.
11

Ward, P.B., Firth, J., Rosenbaum, S., Samaras, K., Stubbs, B. and Curtis, J., 2017. Lifestyle
interventions to reduce premature mortality in schizophrenia. The Lancet Psychiatry, 4(7),
p.e14.
Xie, R., Sabel, C.E., Lu, X., Zhu, W., Kan, H., Nielsen, C.P. and Wang, H., 2016. Long-term
trend and spatial pattern of PM2. 5 induced premature mortality in China. Environment
international, 97, pp.180-186.
12