Those living in the poorest areas of England spend nearly two decades longer in poor health than those living in the most affluent areas. It is feared that the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating this divide.
A recent study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that, in the most deprived areas, men could be expected to live to 74 years of age on average, but spend just 52 years in good health. In the least deprived areas, men are expected to live to around 83 and spend 70 years of their lives in good health.
Women are expected to live to around 78 in the least affluent areas, spending one-third of their life in poor health, compared to a life expectancy of 86 in the most affluent areas – just 15 years of which can be expected to be spent in poor health.
Other findings:
- Though women nationally live longer than men, as the level of deprivation lessens, so does the difference between male and female life expectancy.
- Those living in the most deprived areas could expect to live the smallest portion of their lives in ‘good’ health.
- There has been significant improvement in male and female life expectancy at birth compared to data from 2014-2016.
The data used for the study was collected between 2017 and 2019, and it is feared that the worst disparities may be yet to come, as we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The most pronounced effects of the pandemic have been on the most disadvantaged, highlighting existing health inequalities in the UK.
Those facing the greatest deprivation are experiencing a higher risk of exposure to Covid-19, with such health inequalities putting them at risk of more severe outcomes.
Research published in The Lancet Public Health suggested that health inequalities, stagnant wages, poor diet and austerity among poorer areas are contributing factors to the disparity in life expectancy across England. Professor Majid Ezzati, who led the study, said: “We currently have a perfect storm of factors that can impact on health, and that are leading to poor people dying younger.
“Benefits have been cut, forcing many working families to use foodbanks. The price of healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables has increased relative to unhealthy, processed food, putting them out of the reach of the poorest.
“The funding squeeze for health and cuts to local government services since 2010 have also had a significant impact on the most deprived communities, leading to treatable diseases such as cancer being diagnosed too late, or people dying sooner from conditions like dementia.”
The same research found that, while people in the poorest sectors die at a higher rate from all illnesses, a number of diseases showed a particularly stark difference between the most and least deprived areas. Most notably respiratory diseases, heart disease, lung and digestive cancers and dementias.
19 of the 20 poorest areas in England are situated in the north of the country. Middlesbrough has been found to encompass the highest portion of deprived neighbourhoods, with 49% of its areas classified as ‘highly deprived’. Liverpool, Knowsley, Kingston upon Hull and Manchester fill the remained of the top five areas with the most deprived neighbourhoods, respectively.
It has long been recognised that there is a north/south divide in England. However, it’s widely thought that the real wealth gap is between London and its surrounding area versus the rest of the country. Half of all foreign direct investment projects go to London and the South East.
Tim Doran, a professor of Health Policy at the University of York, said: “The fact that we tend to concentrate power in and around the capital means that the further away from the capital you are, the worse the social circumstances tend to be.”
Researchers have said that greater investment in health and social care in the most deprived areas of England, as well as industry action to make healthy food choices more affordable, would help to eliminate the disparities between life expectancy.
Ellie Hutchings
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