Strategies for Change: Affecting Life Expectancy

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Experience in many countries suggests that campaigns emphasizing the prevention of illness is one of the most effective and least expensive methods to improve public health. (See Box 3.) At the same time, education is critical because these campaigns have the greatest impact when literacy and education are widespread. Furthermore, with adequate education, people are more likely also to gain access to other key factors that help increase life expectancy such as safe water, sanitation, immunizations, medical care, and nutritious food. The education of women helps them to provide better care for their children and to pass on knowledge that will improve their children's lives. Educated women also tend to have smaller, healthier families.

Immunization against infectious diseases represents another successful approach to improving life expectancy at birth. Immunization campaigns in the past 50 years successfully eliminated smallpox, and polio has disappeared in many areas. However, when countries relax immunization efforts or fail to immunize all children, infectious diseases remain a threat.

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As emerging diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tobacco-related illnesses take stronger holds in low- and middle-income countries, governments and communities are having to make difficult decisions about how to use their scarce resources. The price of medical research and care for the victims of these diseases is staggering even for wealthy countries. For many, the best option is to put their efforts into education and prevention.