Life Expectancy Rates Stall For First Time In 100 Years - And Austerity Is To Blame
For the first time in more than 100 years, life expectancy in England has stalled and is declining for women in the poorest areas, a shocking report into health inequality has revealed.
Health Equity In England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On points to austerity and widening health inequalities as key reasons behind the “unprecedented” trend.
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, said while poverty was an issue, austerity had taken its toll on equity and health.
“This damage to the nation’s health need not have happened,” he said.
“It is shocking. The UK has been seen as a world leader in identifying and addressing health inequalities but something dramatic is happening.
“This report is concerned with England, but in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the damage to health and wellbeing is similarly unprecedented.”
The life expectancy of women in the most deprived area decile fell by 0.3 years between 2010-12 to 2016-18, compared to those in the top six, which experienced increases of around 0.5 years, the report revealed.
The report also found:
Child poverty has increased by 22%, compared to Europe’s lowest of 10% in Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands
School exclusions have increased by 40% and violent youth crime has gone up
There is a housing crisis and a rise in homelessness
People have insufficient money to lead a healthy life (more people in poverty are now in work than out of work) and now resort to food banks in large numbers
There are more ignored communities with poor conditions and little reason for hope
Allocations from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are down by 77%
Spending on social protection and education (vital for health) declined by 1.5% of GDP
The life expectancy in men had risen by about half a year from 79.01 in 2010-12 to 79.56 in 2016-18, while in women it rose by about a third of a year from 82.83 to 83.18 during the same period, the research revealed.
The report...
