Healthy ageing – adapting to the longevity era

Global health challenges are shifting towards lifestyle-related diseases and mental health issues

Life expectancy has increased worldwide. Longevity has been accompanied by a greater number of healthy years of life. The desire to be healthier is also shifting from fighting the signs of aging to focusing on prevention and looking and feeling good at any age.
Consumers’ desire to stay healthy as they age is driving demand for health and wellness products ranging from food and nutrition to activities. This demand is not limited to the elderly, however, as middle-aged and even younger consumers are increasingly expressing an interest in holistic, healthy living throughout the natural aging process.
Health habits and attitudes are an important aspect of consumers’ lives, often influencing their day-to-day and long-term decisions, from dietary restrictions to purchasing behavior. Euromonitor International’s Health and Nutrition Survey reveals different perceptions of health across age groups, but for all respondents, a balanced diet (nutrition), physical strength and emotional wellbeing are common elements in the definition of being healthy.
Circulatory diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, remain the leading cause of death worldwide. People in developed countries are more susceptible to CVD, but the problem is growing in developing countries due to rising obesity rates and sedentary lifestyles.
Meanwhile, better education, increased access to healthcare and rising incomes, particularly in developing countries, have helped to significantly reduce death rates from respiratory and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, bronchitis and influenza.
Lifestyle factors such as consumption of foods high in cholesterol, stress, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, lack of exercise and excessive alcohol consumption remain central to human health, as they can all contribute to the development of cardiovascular and mental diseases.
Mental and behavioral disorders are the group of diseases with the highest increase in deaths in developed countries, highlighting the growing problem of depression and other mental illnesses in these markets.
Economic recession, unemployment, aging, social isolation and changing family structures are among the factors that could contribute to the rise in mental illness in developed countries. According to Euromonitor’s Health and Nutrition Survey 2023 (HNS), 58.72% of respondents in Italy reported facing extreme to moderate levels of stress on a daily basis.

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