[ad_1]
(CNN) –
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," Majid said. Ezzati, professor of global environmental health at Imperial College. London in the UK, 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, even if it is not easy for the poor. is probably not as bad as the situation in the 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 life expectancy and longevity inequalities, and we knew they were increasing, but we had not really noticed that they were increasing in part." because the poor are losing their lives rather than winning, "said Ezzati.
"For the poorest communities, the life expectancy of the last six or seven years has begun to decline – it is slowly decreasing, but decreasing nevertheless," 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 with precarious incomes, jobs, housing and even now food in the United Kingdom. United, "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.
As for the new study, "this is the most comprehensive study to date on how it varies with deprivation levels," said McKee.
"The overall results are consistent with previous studies, but they add an important new dimension, confirming that women, especially in the most disadvantaged areas, have really suffered in the last eight years," he said. declared. "The conclusion that life expectancy actually decreases for some groups must be taken extremely 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 more to do if we want these numbers to increase, and there is already evidence to support many of the interventions that are needed at the population level." New technologies offer new opportunities to engage the public at large. Their health, but we must make sure that improving health is not effective at the expense of equity. "
Copyright 2018 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
Source link
