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-A health disparity occurring at a global level when comparing Italy to the United States of America is the life expectancy rate.
-Compared to the U.S.A., Italians are likely to live about 6 years longer than the average American.
-The average Italian citizen lives about 83 years while in the United States, the average is about 76 years.
-The reason for this may be unlike the United States, Italy has a universal healthcare system that ensures all citizens have access to healthcare services.
-Italy's healthcare system known as the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale(SSN) is a big influence contributing to their life expectancy rate.¹

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-Some factors that influence this health disparity are access to healthcare, education, and lifestyle habits.
-It is reported that having the availability to affordable healthcare impacts life expectancy, healthcare coverage can ensure early detection, timely treatment, and better management of health conditions.¹
-Since both availability and affordability to healthcare in the U.S.A. are not well presented because they do not offer a universal healthcare system it is an obvious factor contributing to why the USA has a lower life expectancy rate than Italy.
-The average cost of college and tuition in Italy is about $500-$4,000 per year while in this Unites States it is about $36,000 per year.²,³
-Higher education is significantly cheaper in Italy compared to the U.S. which makes it more attainable. Individuals who are educated tend to be able to make knowledgeable judgments regarding their health and adopt healthier habits which can result in a longer life expectancy rate.
-Obesity is one of the United States biggest concerns when it comes to lifestyle habits. Related condition's such as heart disease, stroke or type two diabetes are all factors leading to a premature death.⁷
-Not only lifestyle choices in Italy are better but quality of life and food outshine the United States as well. There are plenty of rules and policies put out to protect the quality of food in Italy.
-Overall, there are multiple determinants contributing to the issue of Italy having a higher life expectancy rate than in the United States of America.

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-This disparity is seen through residents living in areas with a higher poverty rate.
-Some regional socioeconomic disadvantages such as   unemployment and income inequality both contribute to a lower life expectancy rate.
-Lower socioeconomic classes, in Italy, have a much lower life expectancy, self assessed health status, higher chronic illness and cancer rates.⁸
-Residents who live in areas that fall within a region with high unemployment rates and income inequality are likely to report poor health/living conditions.
-Self-rated health varies by regions. The percentage of residents who have reported poor health range from 4% in Trentino Alto Adige to 10% in Calabria and Sicilia.⁸
-Low socioeconomic status individuals do not have equal access to the opportunities and resources they require to live a healthy and happy life.¹⁰
-A new online tool has been released by the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration, and Poverty (INMP), a WHO Collaborating Center on Health and Migration Evidence and Capacity Building, to assist nations in addressing and reducing health disparities.¹⁰
-In Italy, socioeconomic inequality and its effects on health are an increasing problem that mostly affect marginalized native populations and social classes of immigrants.
-Generally, equity of health contributes to life expectancy rates.

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-The average life expectancy rate in the United States for the male population is about 74 years old and for females it is about 79, while in Italy for the male population it is about 81 years old and for females it is about 85.⁴,⁵
-With an obesity rate of only 8% of the population, compared to 30% in the US, Italy was once seen as the epitome of a healthy lifestyle.⁶
-Who is affected: The individuals with a lower social economic status may have a harder time accessing healthcare and living a healthier lifestyle.¹
-How serious is the problem: U.S. citizens should realize how serious this issue is for them. They should start by obtaining healthier lifestyle habits because on average Italian live 6 years longer than the average U.S. citizen.
-Why is this a problem: This is a problem because of the large difference between the life expectancy rates between Italy and the U.S.A. as well as the factoring contributing to these rates.
-In 2019 the life expectancy rate for the average American was about 79 years old, within the past 3 years this rate has decreased to 76 years old.⁵
-Compared to Italy in 2019 their life expectancy rate stood at 83 years old for the average individual and continues to currently stand at 83 years old.⁴
-As health disparities and obesity rates in America continue to increase the life expectancy rate can be expected to continue decreasing.

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Global Health Organization or Non-governmental Organization and ways in which they are working to address the issue

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Global Health Organization or Non-governmental Organization and ways in which they are working to address the issue

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-An organization working towards this disparity is the Commonwealth Fund which is a non-governmental organization(NGO).
-They are dedicated to obtaining affordable and quality health care for every individual.
-The Commonwealth Fund is a nonprofit private foundation supporting independent research on health policy reform and a high-performance health system.⁹
-This research contributes to establishing new approaches to obtain the highest quality of care.
-The United States is the only high-income country that doesn't guarantee health coverage which has a strong correlation to the low life expectancy rate.
-The Commonwealth Fund's mission is change that and advocate for a high-performing, equitable healthcare system that improves access, quality, and efficiency, especially for the most disadvantaged members of society, those with low incomes, and those without insurance.¹²
-As for Italy they as well have organizations working to improve their equity of care.

-In order to improve health, the Italian government has taken a variety of actions, one of which is to incorporate an equity-focused strategy within the current National Prevention Plan 2020–2025. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan's top priorities include putting funds on healthcare and implementing changes to lessen inequalities between generations, regions, and genders.¹¹
-Improvements in overall healthcare will contribute to the improvement of a longer life expectancy rate.

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1.https://www.thinkinitalian.com/exploring-italys-life-expectancy-factors-influencing-longevity/#:~:text=Social%20and%20economic%20factors%20play,%2C%20and%20overall%20well%2Dbeing
2.https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college
3.https://www.study.eu/article/italy-tuition-fees-and-cost-of-living
4.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?end=2021&locations=IT&start=1960&view=chart
5.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN?locations=US
6.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8882110/#:~:text=In%20the%20context%20of%20this,the%20United%20Kingdom%20(UK).
7.https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
8.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2902435/#:~:text=Reports%20on%20equity%20in%20health,rates%20%5B1%2D5%5D
9.https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022
10.https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/07-07-2022-italy-launches-online-tool-to-support-countries-to-reduce-health-inequities
11.https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/07-11-2022-healthy--prosperous-lives-for-all-in-italy
12.https://www.commonwealthfund.org/about-us