TY - JOUR AU - Mone, Iris AU - Kraja, Bledar AU - Roshi, Enver AU - Burazer, Genc PY - 2023/01/24 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Overview on health status of the Albanian population JF - South Eastern European Journal of Public Health JA - SEEJPH VL - IS - SE - Review Articles DO - 10.56801/seejph.vi.295 UR - http://seejph.com/index.php/seejph/article/view/295 SP - AB - <p>The Albanian population is rapidly aging (in 2020, almost 15% of the population was ≥65 years) as a result of a steady increase in life expectancy (74.4 years in men and 78.7 years in women in in 2021), a gradual decrease in fertility rate (1.6 children per woman of childbearing age in 2020), and emigration of particularly young adults.</p><p>This demographic transition experienced in the past three decades has inevitably led to a significant change in the epidemiological profile of the Albanian population, characterized by a remarkable shift towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVD), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes.</p><p>The main risk factors in the Albanian population consist of high blood pressure (top risk factor, accounting for about 34% of the overall mortality), nutritional-related risks (second, constituting about 25% of the overall mortality), and smoking (third risk factor, accounting for about 20% of the overall mortality).</p><p>The national “Health Strategy, Albania 2021-2030” is a political document of the Albanian government that aims to define and achieve the objectives of the program for the protection and improvement of the health of the Albanian population.</p><p>Following the national “Health Strategy, Albania 2021-2030”, two new action plans were recently developed: the “Action Plan on NCDs, Albania 2021-2030” and the “Action Plan on Health Promotion, Albania 2022-2030”.</p> ER -