Adding Years To Life And Life To Years: Factors Influencing Health

Mental, social, and spiritual health are as important as physical health and are deeply interconnected.

In a survey of 19,000 people across 19 countries, around 85 percent of respondents said their mental health is as important to them as their physical health, and their spiritual and social health were also listed by the majority as “extremely” or “very important.” People share this view across high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

University of Michigan researchers concluded that people without a strong life purpose were more than twice as likely to die, specifically from cardiovascular disease, than those who did have a strong life purpose.

Scientists at the Chonnam National University Medical School in South Korea found a link between anxiety and eyesight problems.

Finally, research from National Academies of Sciences found that loneliness among heart failure patients was associated with around a four times increased risk of death and a 68 percent increased risk of hospitalisation.

For every extra year of life we have added to our life span, half of that may be in moderate or poor health.

Do you accept that you’ll probably spend 20 to 30 years in mixed (at best) health and about a decade in awful health—where you can’t remember your children, use the bathroom independently, have sex, walk around the block, or use all five senses?

We aspire to be more than not sick, not disabled, and not suicidal. We want vitality, centeredness, and resilience. We want our brains to work the best they can. We want to be good at building intimacy. We want to be able to walk, play, carry, and build for as long as possible without discomfort.

Factors Influencing Health

The effectiveness of each factor can be influenced by personal choices as well as societal and environmental conditions. The factors are listed without any specific ranking.

Physical Factors

• Diet: Choices of food, portion sizes, meal preparation, timing, and nutrient balance, including fasting and water intake.
• Supplements: Usage frequency, types (e.g., vitamins, herbs, amino acids), and extent.
• Substance Use: Types and frequency (e.g., alcohol, nicotine, recreational drugs).

Movement

• Mobility: Time distribution by posture—standing, sitting, walking, and fine motor skills.
• Exercise: Types, frequency, and duration (e.g., cardio, strength training, flexibility exercises).

Sleep

• Quality and Duration: Consistency, alignment with circadian rhythms, and sleep stages.

Daily Activities

• Productivity: Work, hobbies, volunteering, and other meaningful activities.
• Social Interaction: Conversations, relationships, and activities, both remote and in-person.
• Content Consumption: Types of media consumed, including news, entertainment, and literature.

Hygiene

• Personal Care: Handwashing, oral care, and other grooming habits.

Environmental Exposure

• Nature: Time spent outdoors, including various natural settings.
• Atmosphere: Weather conditions, temperature, and humidity.
• Sensory: Light and noise exposure.
• Materials: Contact with various substances, including potential toxins and allergens.

Stress Management

• Response: Handling of physical and emotional challenges, both short-term and long-term.

Mental and Emotional State

• Mindset: Attitudes towards life, including optimism and belief systems.
• Body Composition: Fat distribution and muscle mass.

Security

• Physical Safety: Absence of violence and accidents.
• Financial Security: Stability in food, housing, and income.

Healthcare

• Vaccination: Regularity and types of vaccines received.
• Detection: Monitoring and diagnosis through screenings and tests.
• Clinical Treatment: Types of medical interventions, including surgeries and therapies.
• Adherence: Compliance with prescribed treatment plans.

Every business realises it is in the business of health. They realise that most (if not all) of the products and services they offer do (or could) affect one of the modifiable drivers of health. They recognise that helping people optimise their health could be an attractive economic opportunity and positively affect society.

Every employer recognises the profound impact that an employee’s experience has on their health. The extent to which an employee finds meaning in their work, their physical experience, the nature of their work, their interpersonal interactions, the way in which they are developed (or not), the degree and stability of compensation and benefits, and an employer’s policies and programming materially affect every modifiable driver of health. Employers realize that adapting to improve the health of their employees is both just and economically attractive.

We note that most of the favourable changes in human behaviour typically involve a virtuous cycle of institutional and individual action. To this end, we believe every institution on Earth has a role to play in improving health literacy and adapting strategies, policies, and resources to help optimise health.

See: The secret to great health according to data | McKinsey