Health at a Glance: Asia/Pacific 2012
This second edition of Health at a Glance Asia/Pacific presents a set of key indicators of health status, the determinants of health, health care resources and utilisation, health care expenditure and financing and health care quality across 27 Asia/Pacific countries and economies.
Drawing on a wide range of data sources, it builds on the format used in previous editions of Health at a Glance, and gives readers a better understanding of the factors that affect the health of populations and the performance of health systems in these countries and economies.
Each of the indicators is presented in a user-friendly format, consisting of charts illustrating variations across countries and over time, brief descriptive analyses highlighting the major findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability. An annex provides additional information on the demographic context in which health systems operate.
Tobacco
Tobacco smoking is a common risk factor for a large number of diseases that cause illness and death, including lung and other cancers, COPD and cardiovascular disease. The global tobacco epidemic is directly responsible for around 12% of adult deaths worldwide, or some 5 million deaths each year, many of which occur in low- and middle-income countries (WHO, 2011h and 2012d).