Effects of Communicable Diseases on Life Expectancy in Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries

Abstract

Background: Life expectancy (LE) at birth is relatively poor in thelow- and lower-middle-income countries compared to the developed countries. There are many factors for this poor status of LE in these countries. Communicable disease in the human body is found to be one of the main causes. Aim: To determine the effects of communicable diseases on LE at birth in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Methods: Data of 82 low- and lower-middle-income countries were extracted from the World Health Statistics 2018. In this study, the dependent variable is LE at birth, and the communicable diseases such as new Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) infections, Tuberculosis (TB) incidences, Malaria incidences, and Hepatitis-B surface antigen (HBsAg) prevalence among children under 5 years are the independent variables. Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and Linear regression model were used to examine the data. Results: The lowest (52.90 years) and highest (76.30 years) LE at birth were observed in Lesotho and Viet Nam, respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficients identified that new HIV infections, TB incidences, Malaria incidences, and HBsAg prevalence among children under 5 years are highly correlated with the LE at birth. The linear regression analysis reveals that all the selected variables are found to have significant negative effects on LE at birth in low and lowermiddleincome countries. Conclusions: The higher prevalence of communicable diseases contributes to reducing the LE at birth in low and lowermiddleincome countries. So, to raise the LE at birth of a country, the necessary steps should be taken to minimize the incidence and prevalence of communicable diseases. Keywords: Life expectancy; Communicable diseases;Low- and lower-middle-income countries