More needs to be done to protect the physical and mental health of children and young people in Europe, according to the latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO publishes a report every three years, summarising health data from the 53 member states of the WHO European area, which includes the UK as well as all of continental Europe, Russia and other countries in central Asia.
“Without action the next generation will not only face a high risk of chronic disease, but a growing mental health crisis”
Hans Kluge
The European health report 2024 states that Europe as a global region has made substantial achievements in addressing disease burdens and increasing life expectancy.
However, it also identified key areas where European health systems have been “stagnating” or “backsliding”, including child and adolescent health and dealing with the challenges presented by an ageing population.
According to the report, one in five adolescents in the European region is grappling with a mental health condition, while 15% of adolescents report they have experienced cyberbullying.
Suicide is the leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds across the countries in the WHO European region, and girls consistently report lower levels of mental wellbeing compared with boys.
Speaking at the launch of the report, regional director for the WHO European region Dr Hans Kluge said: “Childhood sets the foundation for lifelong health and wellbeing, yet key indicators are stagnating or even worsening across the region.”
He said: “Social media, online harassment and digital dependency are increasingly affecting young people’s wellbeing and without action the next generation will not only face a high risk of chronic disease, but a growing mental health crisis.”
He added that although girls consistently reported lower mental wellbeing than boys, at the same time, men die by suicide at a rate four times higher than women.
“And this is sobering,” he said. “Suicide remains the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29.”
Hans Kluge
Data from individual countries in the region included in in the report reveal that the mental health crisis in young people in the UK is even worse than in other European and Asian countries.
According to the report, the UK saw the greatest increase in deaths by suicide of any country in the WHO European region between 2015 and 2021.
The number of deaths from suicide across the European region decreased over this period by more than 16% while in the UK it increased by more than 14%.
In addition, the gender gap in mental wellbeing in 15-year-olds was highest in England of all the countries in the region. Girls in England scored just 39 out of 100 on a screening tool for depression in 2022, which was the lowest for any group of 15-year-olds surveyed, while boys in England scored 57.
The WHO report also found that routine vaccination rates have fallen in many countries in the European region, leading to a resurgence of preventable diseases.
In 2023 there were 58,000 cases of measles across 41 of the WHO Europe member states, which is a 30-fold increase on the figures for 2022.
The data for the UK showed vaccination coverage rates for key childhood illnesses were lower in 2023 than the average across the European region, including for measles, pertussis and pneumococcal disease.
Dr Kluge said: “These diseases should be behind us, yet they are making a comeback due to declining vaccination rates, fuelled by misinformation and gaps in our healthcare.”
The WHO report also highlighted the risks to the health systems of Europe from their ageing populations.
“These diseases should be behind us, yet they are making a comeback due to declining vaccination rates”
Hans Kluge
Dr Kluge said: “In 2024 for the first time there were more people over 65 than under 15 years old in the European region and projections show that there will be three times more people aged 80+ by 2050.”
The report highlighted that although people were living longer, they were spending more years at the end of the lives living with illness and disability. Nearly half of people aged 65 years and over who are unable to fully take care of themselves lack the assistance they require for personal care or household activities.
Dr Kluge said: “There is a 10-year gap between life expectancy and healthy life-expectancy. This means millions of people in our region spend the last decades of life in poor health. They struggle with chronic diseases, disability and lack of access to adequate care.”
The pressure on healthcare systems that will come from increased rates of dementia was also highlighted in the report.
It found that dementia is one of the leading causes of dependency and disability among older people in the European region and that mortality from dementia was higher in the UK in 2021 than in any other country in the European region.
“Over 14 million people in our region are living with dementia. A number set to double by 2030, so if we do not act now, the gap between living longer and living well will continue to widen, so we must change our approach to ensure our populations not only live longer but age in good health,” Dr Kluge said.
