Turning San Marino’s record-breaking longevity into an opportunity to build new prevention policies and improve quality of life. That is the proposal put forward by Gemma Cesarini of Libera, who draws on life expectancy data to call for a shift in perspective on health policy.
“San Marino ranks among the world’s best for life expectancy. According to available estimates, in 2024 the country reaches roughly 85.1 years of life expectancy at birth, while healthy life expectancy is estimated at around 72.2 years, according to data from the Global Burden of Disease study,” Cesarini points out.
These figures, the Libera representative argues, raise a specific issue: it is not enough to live longer — we need to strive to live better. “Today’s real challenge is not just living longer, but ensuring that those extra years come with health, independence, psychophysical wellbeing and quality of life.”
Hence the idea of turning San Marino into a country at the forefront of prevention. Cesarini places balanced nutrition, physical activity, sleep quality, stress management and emotional wellbeing at the centre of this approach, with interventions designed to support people at every stage of life.
Prevention, she argues, must begin in childhood and adolescence through health education, physical activity and proper nutrition, alongside support for families. The goal is to act before problems arise, reducing controllable risk factors and countering chronic diseases.
“Investing in prevention means safeguarding the wellbeing of future generations, but also contributing to the sustainability of the healthcare system and public finances,” says Cesarini, who believes that prevention “properly designed and evaluated” can become an investment for the State.
San Marino’s small size, in this perspective, could become an advantage. The Titan could become a kind of laboratory in which to test prevention programmes, monitor their outcomes and adjust them based on concrete indicators.
“The goal is to develop a health culture capable of anticipating problems, involving institutions, professionals, schools, families and sports organisations,” Cesarini explains.
A particular role is assigned to sport, seen as more than just physical activity. “Sport is not only physical exercise, but also discipline, relationship-building, concentration and personal development.” In this field, Cesarini notes, neuroscience and stress-regulation techniques could also offer new insights, provided they are applied with “a rigorous, evidence-based approach.”
Part of this path, the Libera representative recalls, is already outlined in the ISS Health and Social-Health Plan, which she considers “an important starting point to keep building on.”
The proposal, therefore, is to concretely strengthen prevention, nutrition, sport, psychological wellbeing and stress management, through programmes with measurable goals and constant monitoring of results.
“Turning longevity into quality of life means working for tomorrow’s health, protecting our children and investing in people’s development,” Cesarini concludes. “San Marino has the opportunity to be not only among the countries where people live the longest, but also a country that works concretely to help people live better.”
