Lifestyle, environmental conditions and mortality in European countries and in Italian regions

This paper uses state-of-the-art machine learning techniques to study the relationship between environmental pollution, life expectancy and lifestyle variables in European countries, with a focus on the Italian regions. K-means clustering allowed to analyse the impact of the pandemic on socio-economic variables between 2019 and 2021, showing how countries position themselves with respect to these changes. Different regional typologies were outlined, reflecting the diversity of environmental and health challenges. Furthermore, a random forest analysis was used to predict life expectancy in European countries and Italian regions based on the presence of the most polluting and health-damaging substances. This methodological approach offers new ways of identifying priorities for intervention, combining environmental mitigation with targeted prevention and treatment strategies.