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A disturbing gap in life expectancy between rich and poor has been dug in the UK and researchers claim that it has also been observed in the United States.
The gap in life expectancy between the richest and most deprived girls and women in the United Kingdom rose from 6.1 years in 2001 to 7.9 in 2016, according to a study released on Thursday. in the journal Lancet Public Health.
According to the study, the gap in life expectancy between the richest and most disadvantaged boys and men in the United Kingdom rose from nine years to 9.7 years.
"The conclusion is that in every age group and for every disease, there is a contribution to inequality, which really means that … the poor are suffering in all areas," said Majid Ezzati, Professor of Global Environmental Health at Imperial College London. the United Kingdom, who was the main author of the study.
"Overall, access to and use of health care is more difficult for the poor, even in a country with a national health system, but probably not as severe as the situation in the world. United States, "he said. "So there is a combination of social, economic and health care behaviors."
Ten years ago, a similar study also conducted by Ezzati revealed a steady rise in life expectancy inequalities in American countries between 1983 and 1999, resulting in disparities among the poor. This study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
In general, life expectancy at birth at birth in 2016 was 72 years, according to the World Health Organization. The average life expectancy worldwide has increased by 5.5 years between 2000 and 2016, the largest increase since the 1960s, WHO said.
The new study looked at health data from the Office for National Statistics on population and deaths in England. The researchers analyzed the data, which included 7.65 million deaths between 2001 and 2016, looking closely at each death and disparities by community, noting the richest and poorest communities.
The researchers found that life expectancy at birth in 2016 was consistently lower in the most disadvantaged communities. For women, life expectancy ranged from 78.8 years in the most deprived areas to 86.7 years in the richest areas and, for men, from 74 to 83.8 years, found Researchers.
In addition, although life expectancy increased in most communities from 2001 to 2016, gains were greater in affluent groups, the researchers found.
"We know that there are inequalities in life expectancy and longevity, and we knew that they were increasing. But we did not really notice that they were rising in part because the poor are losing their lives rather than winning, "said Ezzati.
"For the poorest communities, life expectancy over the last six or seven years has started to decline – it is slowly decreasing, but is decreasing," he said.
Further research is needed to determine the exact contribution of factors to the origin of such inequalities, but the researchers noted in this study that the most significant deaths among life expectancy inequalities were deaths in Canada. Children under 5, mainly neonatal deaths; respiratory diseases; cardiac disease; lung cancer and digestion; and dementia in the elderly.
The study has some limitations, including the fact that the data has been grouped according to community trends. Therefore, results should not be attributed solely to changes in the health status of individuals.
"There is a lot of research on health inequities that highlights the conditions in which people live and work, the poorest living with precarious incomes, jobs, housing and even food in the UK. "Said Martin McKee. , professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, did not participate in the study, but conducted separate research on life expectancy.
With respect to the new study, "This is the most comprehensive study to date on how it varies with levels of deprivation," said McKee.
"The overall results are consistent with these previous studies, but it adds a significant new dimension. This confirms that women, especially in the most disadvantaged areas, have really suffered in the last eight years, "he said. "The conclusion that life expectancy is actually declining for some groups must be taken very seriously because, historically, this has always been an indicator of deeply rooted problems in society."
John Newton, director of Health Improvement at Public Health England, wrote an editorial that accompanied the new study in Lancet Public Health.
"As a society, we need to register an appropriate level of shame about these results and adopt a corresponding level of urgency and diligence to try to correct them," Newton wrote.
"It seems clear that a significant part of the population is left behind in terms of health," he wrote. "There is a lot to do if we want to see these numbers improve. There is already evidence to support many of the interventions needed at the population level. New technologies offer new opportunities to engage the public in improving their health, but we must ensure that future effectiveness in improving health will not be undermined at the expense of equity. "
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