SINGAPORE - According to a Bloomberg ranking, Singapore comes out tops as the
healthiest country in the world, followed closely by Italy, Australia and
Switzerland.
So what makes a country healthier
than another?
According to Bloomberg, it means
having a healthy-living culture and a strong healthcare foundation and network,
resulting in a longer life expectancy and lower death rates.
The final ranking was calculated
based on a health-risk score which took into consideration factors such as
cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity rates, physically inactivity and
extent of immunisation coverage.
This score was then deducted from
a main health score which was calculated from basic health factors such as life
expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate, causes of death and death rates of
different age groups.
As such, the island-state's top
ranking comes as no surprise, considering that if you live in Singapore,
chances are you will live till the ripe old age of 82, according to statistics
from the Ministry of Health Singapore.
Over the next five years, Singapore's
healthcare spending is likely to double and by 2030, reach up to 3.5 per cent
of the country's GDP - promising a robust and widespread healthcare system for
its citizens.
As for health-risk factors, the
smoking prevalence in Singapore is also relatively low, with about 14 per cent
of adults smoking, and the typical Singaporeans diet, while not being
completely ideal, is made up of mostly carbohydrates with lots of vegetables
and side servings of meats and fish.
The same stands true for other
countries in the top 20 list, such as Japan, the Netherlands and Sweden. The
majority of these are developed countries with readily available health care,
healthy national cuisine and active lifestyle options.
YourHealth, AsiaOne
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