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Canadians live longer and spend more on health care, but are we healthier?

Canada is among the world leaders when it comes to life expectancy and quality of health care. But trends in health risk factors, lifestyle, and health care spending are disturbing, according to a new report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Life expectancy at birth has increased by more than 10 years in OECD countries since 1960. In Canada the average life expectancy for women at birth is 83 years and for men, 78 years. Japan leads the world with a life expectancy of 86 years for women and 79 years for men. Advances in medical care are positively impacting these trends at all ages.

Worldwide mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases have also declined, although there is still considerable variability between countries - again Japan is the world leader with the lowest stroke mortality rates and heart disease mortality rates among OECD nations. In Canada just 4.2% of patients died in hospital following a heart attack in 2007.

Canada is among the top three nations for survival rates of cervical cancer and breast cancer. Cancer survival rates among all OECD countries have been improving. In Canada the five year survival rate for cervical cancer is 72%, and 87% for breast cancer.

Although we are living longer, the report highlights disturbing lifestyle trends and an increase in chronic diseases such as diabetes.

An estimated 9.2% of Canadian adults have diabetes, just slightly ahead of the two worst nations, the U.S. (10.3%) and Mexico (10.8%). Iceland is the leader: only 1.6% of Icelandic adults have diabetes. The OECD average is 6.3%.

Obesity is also increasing in all OECD countries. In Canada, 15% of adults are obese. In Japan, the number is only 3%.

In Canada only one quarter of all 15 year olds undertake daily physical activity, and yet this is higher than the OECD average of just 1 in 5.

The percentage of children eating fruit on a daily basis has increased overall, but still fewer than half of children have taken up this good habit.

Consumption of pharmaceuticals is increasing across all OECD countries, particularly for antidiabetics and antidepressants.

For more information: visit www.OECD.org