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We're here to help young people, their parents, the professionals who work with them and the policy makers in government to improve mental health for children and young people in the UK.

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Published: Jul 26, 2013

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Category: Income and Poverty

Yesterday the Office for National Statistics released its most recent data on inequality in life expectancy in England. The data shows that that between 2001-2004 and 2007-2010 average life expectancy in England increased by 1.75 years to just over 80 years. Yet, with overall increases in life expectancy, health inequalities have grown. Life expectancy at birth is now 8.2 years longer for men in the least deprived areas of England than men in the most deprived areas, while women in the least deprived areas can expect to live 5.8 years longer than their peers in the most deprived areas. As well as being measured from birth, life expectancy is also measured at age 65. The focus here will be on the latter as this data shows clearly a recent development that links gender, deprivation and health outcomes. Life expectancy at 65 is simply the expected number of years of life remaining at a 65 years of age, given that a person has reached that age.

The graph below shows the life expectancy in England, separately for men and women, for a 65 year old according to the level of deprivation of the area in which they life. The results, group the areas into fifths (quintiles). They show the levels over the period 2001 to 2004 and the change between those years and the period 2007 to 2010.

There are a number of changes of interest to us here. Firstly, as with the life expectancy from birth data, unequal increases in life expectancy at age 65 between 2001-2004 and 2007-2010 have widened the gap between the least and most deprived areas. For both men and women, the increase in life expectancy was biggest in the areas of lowest deprivation (1.8 and 1.7 years respectively) and smallest in the areas of highest deprivation (1.2 and 1.0 respectively). This widened the 'deprivation gap' to 4.1 years for men and 3.5 years for women.

Secondly, in line with expectations, women on average continue to outlive men. In the years up to 2010, women's life expectancy at 65 exceeded men's by about three years. However, the average increase in life expectancy between 2001-2004 and 2007-2010 was slightly greater for men (1.55 years) than women (1.3 years). This had the effect of narrowing the overall gender gap.

However, what is really striking about the latest inequality in life expectancy data is that the deprivation gap is now beginning to overtake the gender gap. Men in the least deprived areas of England now have a higher life expectancy at age 65 than women in the most deprived areas. In the period 2001-2004, the life expectancy for 65-year-old men in the least deprived areas of England (quintile 5) was about the same as that of women in the most deprived areas (quintile 1). Since then, however, men in quintile 5 now have a life expectancy one year more than women in quintile 1. Further to this, the life expectancy of men at 65 in quintile 4 has now also surpassed that of women in quintile 1. This reflects changes we have also been seeing in the life expectancy at birth data which shows that men on average can now expect to live as long as women in the most deprived areas.

Despite overall increases in life expectancy, inequalities remain. Health inequalities were targeted by the previous government with some success, and the Marmot Review of 2010 brought additional focus to the topic. But health inequalities are complex and the impacts of interventions in this area will not be seen for some time. As such, the worry is that range of austerity measures being implemented now - that exacerbate poverty and so impact on health - will not show their effects for years.

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Deprivation, gender and health inequalities in England

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Published: Jul 26, 2013 Author: Category: Income and Poverty Yesterday the Office for National Statistics released its most recent data on inequality in life expectancy in England. The data shows that that between 2001-2004 and 2007-2010 average life expectancy in England increased by 1.75 years to just over 80 years.

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David Cameron has pledged to eliminate gender inequality in pay by forcing companies to disclose their gender pay gaps.

But how bad is gender inequality in the UK? In one area the prime minister directly controls - which gender government ministers are - Britain is far behind many of its neighbours.

Big business, too, has poor representation of women at the top. FTSE100 companies are particularly bereft of women.

Perhaps feeding into this gender pay gap:

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This is what gender inequality in Britain looks like in charts

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David Cameron has pledged to eliminate gender inequality in pay by forcing companies to disclose their gender pay gaps. But how bad is gender inequality in the UK? In one area the prime minister directly controls - which gender government ministers are - Britain is far behind many of its neighbours.

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22 Jul 2014, by Richard Exell inSociety & Welfare

I've been thinking a bit about the Inequality in Healthy Life Expectancy statistics, published today. These figures show life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, broken down by gender and by how deprived the areas are where people live. Among other things, they show why defending benefits and services for people who are disabled or in poor health is more important for people in deprived areas and more important for women.

As we might expect, there is a clear gender difference, with women living longer than men in all deciles. (*) And there is a deprivation gradient for both sexes, with life expectancy shorter the more deprived areas are:

We also get these differences when we come to healthy life expectancy. (**)

Now, I'd like you to notice three things about these charts. One is that the HLE gap between men and women is much smaller - indeed, in the very poorest areas, healthy life expectancy is slightly lower for women than for men. The average gap in life expectancy for all ten deciles is 3.8 years, but for healthy life expectancy this gap is about 7 months.

I'd also like to point out that deprivation is related to a much bigger difference in LE and HLE than sex. Compared to the average gap of 3.8 years between women and men, the life expectancy gap between the top and bottom decile is 9.1 years for men and 6.8 years for women. Compared to an average female - male gap of 0.6 years for healthy life expectancy, the gap between the top and bottom deciles is 18.2 years for men and 19.3 years for women. Life expectancy has been growing at about three months every year for men and a bit less for women, which makes the most deprived areas more than 30 years behind the least deprived.

This inequality is more pronounced at the bottom end of the scale than the top:

The third is that the gradient from most to least deprived is much more pronounced for healthy life expectancy: how deprived the area you live in is makes much more difference to healthy life expectancy than to life expectancy. Not only is there a gradient in how long people live, but also in the proportion of their lives spent in good health:

Or, to put it another way, here's the gap (in years) between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy for women and men in each of the deprivation deciles:

For locations in the bottom four deciles, the gap between healthy life expectancy and life expectancy is 23.3 years for women and 19.3 years for men; for locations in the 5 th to 7 th deciles the gap is 17.6 and 14.9 years and for the top 3 deciles 15.3 and 12.9 years.

Deprivation is linked to health and this issue is even more pressing for women than for men. This means that services (and, to some extent, benefits) for people who are in poor health are more significant for deprived areas - and that the horrific cuts affect more deprived areas most.

There's also an issue about how politicians and the media think about people who aren't in good health. Most of us assume that the places we live and work and the people we see every day are typical. In the less deprived areas, people not in good health will be a smaller proportion of the people you normally meet; even the older people you meet will be more likely to be in good health. Most politicians and journalists don't live in deprived parts of the country, so they may well imagine that good health is more common than is in fact the case. And that will mean that they underestimate the damage caused by cuts in benefits and services for people in poor health.

Just a few days ago the New Policy Institute published excellent research showing that official statistics are likely to be undercounting the number of disabled people in poverty by one million. Not being in good health is not the same thing as disability (which is a social phenomenon, not a medical one) but the two are obviously linked. If we have misleading statistics combined with a perceptual bias, it is possible that we may have a part of the explanation for the indifference to the harm being done by the cuts.
(*) These figures are for areas in England in 2010-12, allocated to 'deprivation deciles' using the English Index of Multiple Deprivation.(**) Healthy Life Expectancy is the number of remaining years that a resident of one of the areas in that decile can expect to live in very good or good general health. These figures are for life expectancy and healthy life expectancy at birth.

Written by Richard Exell

I am the TUC's Senior Policy Officer covering social security, tax credits and labour market issues, including the debates about the European social model and labour market flexibility. I also represent the TUC on the Industrial Injuries Advisory C...

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I've been thinking a bit about the Inequality in Healthy Life Expectancy statistics, published today. These figures show life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, broken down by gender and by how deprived the areas are where people live. Among other things, they show why defending benefits and services for people who are disabled or in...

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https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/lifeexpectancies/bulletins/lifeexpectancyatbirthandatage65bylocalareasinenglandandwales/2015-11-04

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Disorders in Older People - Older People's Health Issues - Merck Manuals Consumer Version

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Disorders in Older People - Explore from the Merck Manuals - Medical Consumer Version.

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https://padlet.com/mcy1/socialstatistics

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http://www.ageuk.org.uk/health-wellbeing/conditions-illnesses/osteoarthritis/

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shows that Alzheimer's affects only elderly.

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shows that Alzheimer's affects only elderly.

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https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=100

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You exercise. You eat right. You're in pretty good shape for someone your age.

Still, getting older can bring on health problems as our bodies change. Not everyone will get them. But some medical conditions become more common or more serious after we get a few decades under our belts.

Here are five surprising ways that age itself can pose health challenges.

Flu

When you're over 65, your immune system isn't as strong as it used to be. Seniors make up the bulk of the people who die or are hospitalized for flu-related problems. Age raises the chances of serious flu complications like:

Pneumonia

Sepsis (bacterial infection in blood)

Worsening of lung and heart disease

A yearly flu shot is a must. If you're older than 65, ask your doctor about the high-dose version, which offers more protection.

Weight Gain

Getting older can be a triple whammy. You lose muscle as you age. That makes it harder to keep the pounds from creeping up. You also become less active. At the same time, your body burns fewer calories for the same physical activities as when you were younger.

You probably know that being overweight or obese raises you chances for many conditions, like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. But the extra pounds can pose an even bigger burden for older people. Everyday movements like walking and getting out of chairs get harder. Obesity and arthritis often go together.

So whether your 50 or 80, ask your doctor about smart ways to fight the weight gain. Every bit helps.

Fragile Bones

Many seniors fear falling. Advancing years can affect your balance and make you less steady and sure on your feet. Falls can be especially dangerous if you have osteoporosis, when your bones become less dense and more prone to breaks and fractures. Women 50 and older are twice more likely than their male peers to break a bone because of this "brittle bone disease."

You can keep your bones stronger if you:

Eat lots of fruits, veggies, and foods high in calcium.

Ask your doctor if you need a vitamin D supplement. Older bodies absorb less of it from the sun.

Lift weights or do exercises that use your own body weight (walking, pushups, squats).

Quit smoking and avoid too much alcohol (more than two or three drinks a day).

Continued

Cancer

Did you know that age is the single biggest predictor of your chances of getting cancer? It jumps up after you hit 50. Half of all cancers happen in people over 65. For lung cancer, the median age is 70.

Scientists don't know exactly why older people are more susceptible to cancer. It could simply be that you've been exposed to cancer-causing agents for longer. Or maybe your body is less able to make repairs when cells go haywire.

Still, getting older doesn't mean you're destined to get cancer. You can adopt healthy habits proven to help you lower the odds.

Slim down. Obesity is linked to 13 different types of cancer, including breast, colon, and pancreatic cancers.

Cut down on red and processed meat.

Exercise regularly. It helps to not only prevent some cancers, but keep them from coming back.

Depression

It's not an unavoidable part of getting older. In fact, about 1 in 20 Americans 60 and older has depression, the lowest rate of any age group. But many depressed seniors don't get diagnosed. Older Americans themselves and their doctors may dismiss any symptoms as a natural reaction to illnesses and life's setbacks.

Many more older Americans may have something called subsyndromal depression. You may feel less pleasure or interest in activities and people as you did before, but you don't have full-blown symptoms for major depression.

You're more likely to be depressed if you have long-term health issues like heart disease or arthritis that put limits on your life. People who need home health care are more likely to have the condition compared to other older adults.

Medication and psychotherapy, also called talk therapy, can treat it. Loneliness can lead to depression. So seek out way to connect with others. Talk to friends and family. Join a class or a group. Do volunteer work. Find whatever ways to enrich your body and spirit.

Sources

SOURCES:

CDC: "What You Should Know and Do this Flu Season If You Are 65 Years and Older," "Flu Symptoms & Complications," "Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older," "Depression in the U.S. Household Population, 2009-2012," "Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older."

Journal of Clinical Gerontology and Geriatrics: "Health consequences of obesity in the elderly."

American Heart Association: "About Metabolic Syndrome."

National Osteoporosis Foundation: "Bone Health Basics: Get the Facts."

Dana Farber Cancer Institute: "Why Does Cancer Risk Increase As We Get Older?"

National Institutes of Health: "Age-Related Eye Diseases," "Age-Related Hearing Loss."

Wake Forest Baptist Health: "Age-Related Heart Disease."

The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry: "Exergames for Subsyndromal Depression in Older Adults: A Pilot Study of a Novel Intervention."

BioMed Central: "Does treatment of subsyndromal depression improve depression and diabetes related outcomes: protocol for a randomised controlled comparison of psycho-education, physical exercise and treatment as usual."

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5 Ways Getting Older Can Bring Health Challenges

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You exercise. You eat right. You're in pretty good shape for someone your age. Still, getting older can bring on health problems as our bodies change. Not everyone will get them. But some medical conditions become more common or more serious after we get a few decades under our belts.

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gives you life mortality rates and expectancy on a national level.

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gives you life mortality rates and expectancy on a national level.

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http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjA3vmk8qDQAhUlDsAKHf7oAF8QFgghMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ons.gov.uk%2Fons%2Frel%2Fsocial-trends-rd%2Fsocial-trends%2Fsocial-trends-40%2Fsocial-trends-40---health-chapter.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHAZnic5uObIulhbbH0CX-sPWxLXw