HEALTH
G 7 members face a growing where birth rates have fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman. These trends in mortality and fertility illustrate demographic transitions – from higher to lower – in different countries and contexts. More people are getting old than are being born, as in Japan where the life expectancy is 85 years and the fertility rate is 1.3 children per woman. This gap has profound implications. Increasing age means rising risks of stroke, heart disease and dementia. The fast-paced demographic shifts are only one aspect of the issue; another is changing lifestyle and other risk factors causing many neurological diseases, which are the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years and the second demographic gap. The world’s population exceeds 8 billion people, but two-thirds live leading cause of death globally. Despite the high global burden of neurological conditions, access to prevention services is insufficient, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Little is done until people become symptomatic. For example, two drugs slow progression to dementia, as do intensive lifestyle changes. Both have limitations: by the time people are symptomatic,
Changing the mindset
Implementing neurological, mental and social brain health at the global level needs to be based on ‘the least that yields the most’ – and G7 leaders can play their part by declaring it a top priority, coordinating policies and taking a One Health approach
By Vladimir Hachinski,
Western University; Matilde Leonardi, Neurological Institute C Besta, Elena Moro , Grenoble Alpes University, and Paul Boon , Ghent University and Eindhoven
University of Technology
60
G7 ITALY: THE APULIA SUMMIT — 2024
globalgovernanceproject.org
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