Tag: life expectancy

Glasgow has the shortest life expectancy for people aged 40

  • Residents in Glasgow City have the shortest remaining life expectancy compared to any other UK area
  • West Dunbartonshire comes in second for females whilst Blackpool is second for males
  • Inverclyde is third for females, and West Dunbartonshire is third for males 

New analysis has revealed that Glasgow City has the shortest life expectancy for both men and women aged 40.

The research, by care experts Guardian Carers, analysed ONS data to reveal the life expectancy from the age of 40 for each local authority in the UK.

A 40-year-old resident of Glasgow City has the lowest remaining life expectancy compared to any other UK area. For women living in this area, the average life expectancy from the age of 40 is 39.3 years more – this is nearly ten years less than their female counterparts in Kensington and Chelsea. Male residents have an average 34.8 years more from the ages of 40.

West Dunbartonshire comes in second for women who, on average have 39.8 years left to live after the age of 40, and Blackpool places second for men at 36 years.

Ranking as the areas with the third lowest life expectancy after the ages of 40 are Inverclyde, with an average of 40.1 years expected for women, and West Dunbartonshire for men, with a predicted 36.04 years. The top three areas with the lowest life expectancy for women are situated in Scotland.

Blackpool comes in fourth for women who, according to the ONS data, have on average, 40.2 years left to live after the age of 40. Dundee City has the fourth lowest life expectancy for men with 36.2 years.

Women aged 40 in North Lanarkshire have, on average, 40.4 years left to live. Inverclyde male residents have 36.5 years, making these the areas with the fifth lowest life expectancy in the UK for women and men.

Knowsley comes in sixth as women living in this area are expected to have 40.6 years left to live. Manchester provides a further 36.7 years for men.

In seventh place, Dundee City’s female residents have an average 40.7 years of life expectancy after the age of 40, while men living in North Lanarkshire have 36.8 years.

Women in Manchester are expected to live for 40.8 more years after the age of 40, and 37.01 years for men living in Kingston upon Hull, making these the areas with the eighth highest life expectancy.

In ninth place, 40-year-old women living in Liverpool are estimated to have 40.8 years to live on average, while the figure is 37.2 years for men living in this area.

Ranking as the areas with the tenth highest life expectancy after the age of 40 is East Ayrshire for women with an average of 41 years left to live, and East Ayrshire for men, who have 37.3 years.

A 40-year-old woman living in Kensington and Chelsea has the highest remaining life expectancy compared to any other UK area. For women living in this borough, the average life expectancy from the age of 40 is 48.6 years more. Male residents in Westminster have an average of 45.5 years more from the ages of 40, the highest amount for men in the UK.

A spokesperson for Guardian Carers commented on the findings: “Women living in Kensington and Chelsea have an extra expected 9.3 years left to live compared to those in Glasgow.

“The disparities seen between areas of the UK in this analysis could highlight major problems in social, economic or health-related factors. It also shines a light on the finding that women across the UK are expected to live longer than men.

“The age of 40 marks the typical midway through an average lifetime, and it is fascinating to see how many years people can expect to live further, in each location.”

The UK Areas With The Lowest Life Expectancy For Women At The Age Of 40
Local AuthorityLE
Glasgow City39.33
West Dunbartonshire39.83
Inverclyde40.12
Blackpool40.2
North Lanarkshire40.39
Knowsley40.66
Dundee City40.74
Manchester40.77
Liverpool40.8
East Ayrshire40.97
The UK Areas With the Lowest Life Expectancy For Men At The Age Of 40
Local AuthorityLE
Glasgow City34.76
Blackpool35.96
West Dunbartonshire36.04
Dundee City36.17
Inverclyde36.47
Manchester36.73
North Lanarkshire36.8
Kingston upon Hull, City of37.01
Liverpool37.22
East Ayrshire37.33

Source: Office of National Statistics

The study was conducted by Guardian Carers, which is an introductory service placing carers, companions and housekeepers all over the UK and beyond; who provide a wide range of premium care services on a live-in, live-out, full-time or part-time basis.

Report reveals higher death rates and fewer years in good health for people in deprived areas

TWENTY years gap in life expectancy between rich and poor

A new report from National Records of Scotland (NRS) highlights differences in outcomes for people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived areas.

Data from “Scotland’s Population 2020 – The Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends” shows that the death rate for all causes of death in the most deprived areas of Scotland was 1.9 times the rate in the least deprived areas. 

The rates for drug-related deaths (18.4 times as large), alcohol-specific deaths (4.3 times as large), suicides (3.0 times as large), and COVID-19 deaths (2.4 times as large) were all notably higher in the most deprived areas. 

This Annual Review provides a unique analysis of a wide range of datasets, highlighting emerging trends across a number of important themes.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: “Our report on Scotland’s Population in 2020 shows that the death rate from all causes in the most deprived areas of Scotland is nearly double the death rate of people in our least deprived areas.

“The difference in death rates is higher for drug-related deaths, alcohol-specific deaths, suicides, and COVID-19.

“People in more deprived areas can also expect far fewer years in good health. There is a 20+ year gap in healthy life expectancy between people in the least and most deprived areas.

“This Annual Review has been produced since 1855. This year we have restructured it and presented datasets by a number of important themes, aiming to make it more accessible to a wider range of people.”

The full publication Scotland’s Population 2020 – The Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends is available on the NRS website.

Public Health Scotland supports retaining uplift to Universal credit

Public Health Scotland supports retaining the £20 a week uplift to universal credit and working tax credits, brought in by the UK Government in April 2020, to help create a Scotland where everybody thrives.

The social security top-up payment was introduced in April 2020 to help low-income households deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is due to expire in October.

The evidence is becoming stronger that increasing the incomes of the poorest, including by increasing means-tested benefits, can help narrow the gap in life expectancy and improve mental health and wellbeing.

All of those families affected claiming working tax credits are already in employment, as are 35% of people claiming universal credit. Another 31% of people claiming universal credit have health problems or caring responsibilities which compromise their ability to secure and retain jobs. Therefore, focusing on getting people into work, in itself, will not be sufficient.

Martin Taulbut, Public Health Intelligence Adviser at Public Health Scotland said: “People with higher incomes are healthier and live longer. Experiencing material hardship can have a profound direct impact on health by affecting our ability to buy the goods and services that support good health and underpin healthy life expectancy. 

“The increase in value of universal credit and tax credits has reduced poverty, protecting the physical and mental health of low-income families and supporting working-age adults’ ability to find and keep good work. Decreasing the value of means-tested benefits is likely to result in a decline in the (already poor) health of the unemployed and low-income families, particularly after the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As well as enabling families to live healthier lives now, action taken to improve and protect the health of children from early in life pays dividends for decades. By embedding health and wellbeing into policy decisions across areas of economy, employment and mental health, Scotland has an opportunity to make real progress on national outcomes.”

Letters: Creating a step change in the health of the nation

Scottish charities call to cut deaths from our biggest killers

Dear Editor,

Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease and diabetes are responsible for around two thirds of all deaths in Scotland – around 39,000 every year – and are among the world’s biggest killers. And yet sadly deaths from these conditions are often preventable. The burden of these diseases on families and on our society cannot be underestimated.

This week, as a global campaign takes place raising awareness of the impact of these non-communicable diseases (NCDs), we have come together – representing ten of Scotland’s leading health charities – to call for action.

We believe many of these deaths and lost healthy years of life are preventable through addressing modifiable and societal risk factors. Official statistics estimate that each year around 14,000 deaths in Scotland could be prevented through public health interventions.

As a collective, we have set out a series of priorities to tackle three of the biggest risk factors that affect people today – tobacco use, alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets – to improve the health of everyone in Scotland.

Evidence shows the environment around us heavily influences whether we smoke, the amount of alcohol we drink and what we eat. The visibility of products on our high streets and the way they are marketed all contribute to Scotland having one of the lowest healthy life expectancies in Western Europe.

This is particularly true in our most deprived communities where levels of smoking, harmful alcohol use and overweight and obesity are often at their highest. Research shows us that this is in part due to the higher presence of outlets in these areas selling alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food and drink. We must act now to ensure that the healthy choice is an easy choice for everyone in Scotland.

Covid-19 has also provided a wake-up call on these issues. We are becoming aware of possible links between smoking, alcohol intake and obesity on the severity of Covid-19 infections, highlighting the need to take action now more than ever as we continue to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scotland has been a pioneer in public health. It was the first country in the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces and the first in the world to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol.

In this week of awareness, we are calling on all political parties to place the prevention of Scotland’s biggest killers as a priority and to give a strong commitment, ahead of next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections, to work with us to create a step change in the health of the nation.

Yours sincerely,

Alison Douglas, Chief Executive, Alcohol Focus Scotland
Shelia Duffy, Chief Executive, ASH Scotland
Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead, Obesity Action Scotland
Lindsay Paterson, Interim Director, SHAAP
Joseph Carter, Head of the Devolved Nations, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive, British Heart Foundation
Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK
Andrea Cail, Scotland Director, Stroke Association
Angela Mitchell, National Director, Diabetes Scotland

“Unravelling”: Stalling life expectancy is a warning light for public health in Scotland

Two reports out today show that the increase in life expectancy that has shown steady progress in Scotland since the Second World War, has now stalled and that health inequalities have worsened.

In the past seven years, Scotland has seen the slowest growth in life expectancy, since at least the late 1970s and death rates have now begun to rise for people living in our poorest areas. Continue reading “Unravelling”: Stalling life expectancy is a warning light for public health in Scotland

Mind the Gap: poor in Edinburgh die 21 years earlier than rich neighbours

The life expectancy gulf in Scotland’s capital city is now 21 years, experts have said, DOUBLE the previous estimates.  Tory health spokesman Miles Briggs says he is “staggered” by Edinburgh’s inequality gap and has urged the SNP government to take action to address poor health in deprived communities. Continue reading Mind the Gap: poor in Edinburgh die 21 years earlier than rich neighbours