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A 60-year-old woman living in the poorest areas of England is typically 16 years older than a woman in an affluent area who has the same illness, a study into health inequalities has found.
of Health The Foundation found a similarly stark, though less wide, gap in men’s health. A person living in the most depressed 10% of the country at age 60 has the same health problems as their counterparts in the wealthiest 10% at age 70.
Tintank’s analysis of NHS data also found that women in the poorest areas of England were diagnosed with chronic pain at an average age of 40, but not until age 48 in the most affluent areas.
Poorer women spend 43.6 years, or 52% of their lifetimes, affected by chronic pain, compared with 41 years, or 46% of their lifetimes, for their better-off counterparts.
In addition, the most deprived women die on average at the age of 83.6 years, which is more than five years earlier than the 88.8 years of healthy women.
Likewise, the poorest men are expected to spend 42.7 years free of disease, but the richest 10% of the population – 49.2 years. And their life expectancy is 78.3 years, compared to 87.1 for the richest.
The findings reflect Britain’s wide and entrenched socio-economic inequalities in health, which the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted. Ministers have promised to prioritize them in a commitment to tackle them, but a promised white paper on the issue has been delayed.
The researchers, led by Toby Watt, said their findings published so far may be the most accurate because they are based on data detailing patients’ interactions with primary care and hospital services, and previous studies have not relied on people’s self-reported health.
“In humans, these clear differences show that by the age of 40, the average woman living in the poorest areas of England has been treated for her first chronic illness. This can lead to discomfort, worse quality of life and more visits to the GP, medicine or hospital, depending on the situation. . . . At the other extreme, the average 40-year-old woman lives an additional eight years — 10% of her life — without quality of life being impaired by the disease,” Watt said.
A 40-year-old who is poor for the rest of her life may suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory problems, alcohol problems, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and a heart attack or stroke at a young age. If she makes it to 80, which is rare, she will still be treated more severely than her wealthier friends.
He and his team found that inequality in disease burden persists from childhood and changes in nature with aging in adulthood. However, across the life cycle they are mostly defined by a few diseases: chronic pain, diabetes, severe respiratory problems, anxiety, depression, stroke, heart failure and alcohol-related problems.
as if speech last yearThe current health secretary, Sajid Javid, has described the “disease of difference” as a preventable cause and pledged to tackle the root causes of the problem.
Watt urged Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak to make health equity a top priority for whichever prime minister is next. Doing so involves focusing on “good quality jobs, housing and education” and not simply on more NHS action, he added.
A Department of Health and Social Protection spokeswoman said: “The outbreak has shone a light on the serious health inequalities across the country – we are committed to improving the nation’s health so that everyone can live a long, healthy life, regardless of age. their backgrounds.
“To make progress in improving health and reduce these unacceptable disparities, we have established the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, which will focus on areas and communities where health conditions are most prevalent.
“We know that women live longer on average than men but spend most of their lives in poor health, which is why we published the Women’s Health Strategy on 20 July 2022 to tackle the gender health gap.”
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