Health Issues, Values, and Disparities in Italy

The Italian culture values health and it shows in their good health across the country. Issues arise from the new fast paced society and health differences between areas in Italy.  Italians are a healthy group of people who cherish their local food and its benefits. 

Overview of Health of Italian People 

Venice, Italy

Italy is widely considered one of the healthiest countries in the world. As recently as 2012 Bloomberg ranked all the countries in the world based on their health and Italy was the second healthiest country in the world. One of the biggest aspects in which Italy's health exceeds other is its high life expectancy. The average life expectancy is 81.5 years old compared to the United States life expectancy which is currently at 79.9 years old. Italy has the 2nd highest life expectancy in the world demonstrating their good health. Another strength of Italy is their low infant mortality rate. For every 1000 infants born, only 5.51 will die before the age of one, placing Italy as one of the countries with the lowest infant mortality rate. The general population of Italy has good health because of their nutritious and healthy eating habits. While Italy is one of the healthiest countries in the world, it still has health issues which I go into more depth later on. 

Family dinner in Italy

Link to Bloomberg's ranking of healthiest countries: http://images.businessweek.com/bloomberg/pdfs/WORLDS_HEALTHIEST_COUNTRIES.pdf

Health Between Generations

Italian college students

Over the past decade in Italy, there has been an increasing divide between the younger generation of people and the older generation. The younger generation is often referred to as "convenience seekers" because their priorities about their food choices are different than the older generation. Younger people are becoming more concerned with fast and easy meals instead of spending time cooking quality and healthy meals. Their newfound eating habits are straying further away from what the Italian Ministry of Health recommends. 

Elderly Italian couple

The older generation of people in Italy have continued with the traditional eating habits that previous generations have used for years and years. The older generation is using traditional cooking methods and because of this, they have the healthiest eating habits compared to the younger people in Italy. The current lifestyles between the generations and the economy are the main reasons for the differences between these two generations. 

Link to the Italian Ministry of Health's website: http://www.salute.gov.it/

Italian Ministry of Health logo

Health Disparities in Italy

Many of Italy's health issues stem from either socioeconomic differences, the living conditions, or healthcare. One of the biggest issues deals with the socioeconomic differences. In Italy there has been an increase in poverty, unemployment, and income inequality because of the suffering economy. These are all factors that contribute to poor health. The Italian people in these situations have much less access to healthy food and ingredients. They also have less access to medication and quality healthcare. Another health disparity in Italy is the issue of living conditions. People who live in impoverished living conditions are more likely to have poor health based on the stress on these conditions. The healthcare system in Italy is widely considered one of the best in the world which also contributes to overall good health of the country. Because of their successful healthcare system and modern views on medicine most Italians do not use food for medicinal purposes. But in older times, Italian men would bring home pigs to eat because it was believed it would bring good fortune and togetherness. 

Florence, Italy

 

Works Cited:

Leonardo Casini, Caterina Contini, Enrico Marone, Caterina Romano. Food habits. Changes among young Italians in the last 10 years. Appetite Volume 68 September 1, 2013 pages 21-29.

Luisa Franzini*1 and Margherita Giannoni. Determinants of health disparities between Italian regions. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:296.

Alfia Mangano. An analysis of the regional differences in health care utilization in Italy. Health & Place Volume 16 Issue 2 March 2010 pages 301-308.