AIBU to think poor health in later life is a UK problem?

The French work a 32 hour week - everyone gets an afternoon off for sports. They can claim state pension at 62 - we have to wait until 67 - for far less money too.

68!

Just to make a comparison with our closest neighbours.

The French work a 32 hour week - everyone gets an afternoon off for sports. They can claim state pension at 62 - we have to wait until 67 - for far less money too.
They eat little UPF and are slimmer than us. We eat crap and are overweiight.

Capitalism and neo liberalism are to blame for our poor health. We are worked to the ground, many doing more than 1 job to keep a roof over our heads. We eat processed food because we have no time to cook and our wages and prensions are dismal.

HLE is a standard statistical measure used across all the participating countries for many years. It's a robust survey using, in the UK, ONS statistics.

It’s interesting that the over 50s are so much unhealthier than previous generations.

The healthy generation is dying off. People in their late 80s/90s who lived through the war and despite rationing had better diets than now and developed good habits which they kept up throughout their lives.

They didn't always have a car and took plenty of exercise. My parents were active well into their 80s. I am not sure if I will be.

How is a "healthy life" determined? from what I've read about this it is a self reported survey on how people feel "How is your health in general; would you say it was… very good, good, fair, bad, or very bad?". This seems really subjective.

I think it’s too simplistic to say people don’t want to take accountability.

I have recently had a health scare and my GP have said it’s because i’m stressed. I had no idea I was stressed!

Poor diet, obesity, inequality are the biggest factors. People eat too much UPFs. People of lower socioeconomic status - worse diets, higher smoking rates, more stress, more chronic illness.

This is what my mum fed me in the 90s 😭

Not a surprise, we have a stripped back health care system that is reactive not pro-active. We have a work culture that prioritises sitting on arses indoors. Dental care is a fucking lottery.

So yes we have the technology to keep people alive longer, but not alive healthily.

I’m a similar age and I find in the cold, wet, dark months I can’t engage in life properly. I have no energy and just want to slob on the sofa eating cake. Now the sun is out I’m gardening, I’m decluttering, I have renewed zest for life. I feel twenty years younger. I really need to try and manage myself better in the colder, darker months.

Of course people manage it but they’d rather just makes excuses instead - I always worked full time, 3 dc and managed to exercise and cook well for us all. But hey it’s ok, as that report says, things should soon start improving soon thanks to WL drugs! 🤦‍♀️ Let’s not change any of this at ground level, just throw drugs at the problem, and that is the problem, nobody wants to take any accountability for their own health.

Given the amount of hate on mumsnet towards cyclists and to a lesser extent, runners, it doesn't surprise me the nation's health is in decline

lol, are you being serious? 😂

All comes down to what we put in our mouths and in our minds.

You eat shit food and doom scroll all day you're literally filling up with crap!

And yet lots of people manage it just fine.

Being a "mum, wife and daughter" and working a full-time job doesn't stop you from getting off your backside and going for a walk.

People are definitely NOT LAZY. They’re either in poverty or working long hours and/or 2 or 3 jobs to keep afloat.

LONGEST WORKING HOURS IN EUROPE FFS

And yet people manage it. It's a false eonomy to not priortise your health. Small changes in life style habits can help fit more exercise in etc

Yes but what demographic are they in?

Exactly. People seem to be massively against taking responsibility for their own health, lives and well-being - they want someone/something else to fix it all for them.

Gym membership is too expensive and not convenient (so would not be used) but we do workouts that are on YouTube

I agree - the nhs does a lot of preventative work, a free vaccination programme being one. However, it can’t stop people picking up a cigarette, vaping, making repetitive bad health choices, not exercising, drinking excessively etc.

People do though. Most of the people I know are early middle-aged working parents so have plenty of demands on their time but manage to run before work/swim etc

They (we) are also predominantly middle-class so have the time/WFH jobs/cash for gym memberships etc. So privilege plays a big part.

DH and I are also supportive of allowing each other time to pursue hobbies/exercise

Exactly. And lots of people seem to think they can just rock up to the doctors and get help without doing anything themselves.

This will go down like a sack of shit on here, but the uproar around WLI's not being available to everyone on the NHS is a key sign of how lazy some of us are.

The curious thing is that income inequality affects their health of those who are well off as well as those who are not well off.

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/inequalities/2026/01/28/inequality-and-health-lost-in-the-mists-of-time-social-stress-mortality-life-expectancy/