5. The health of industrialized populations

A major problem, which certainly will be faced in the coming decades, will be caused by the progressive aging of the population in all more developed countries and will reach very significant proportions particularly in Italy (Table 3).

In Italy, for example, around 2050, more than a third of the population will be over 65-year-old and a third of these will be over 80 years.

An important consideration, however, is that despite the generations that will overlook the threshold of the 80 years from 2050 will come from generations born in the late twentieth century, when, then, they had already a culture of health, the knowledge that styles correct and adequate life can improve the quality of life, especially by the elderly, massive campaigns against smoking and use of drugs, certainly the frightening growth of older age groups will pose new structural limits to the population [12].

It is undeniable, in fact, that a large amount of pathologies that are spreading in recent years are closely related to age, and the growth of this will not only bring with it the growth and spread of diseases today marginal if not, indeed, unknown.

This lot will commit the future governance, on the identification of resources to cope with this situation and the migratory flows in the next few decades could be the key to restore vitality to a population particularly in trouble [13].
