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

Inequality and poor nutrition are major drivers. Not just the high fat, high salt, high UPF aspect but also prenatal nutrition, low breastfeeding rates, poor infant nutrition and abysmal child nutrition. This is down, in part, to the UK's recovery from WWII which, even as class barriers and inequality dropped meant Britain struggled to a much greater extent as other OECD countries recovered. And it had a lasting impact on UK food culture across the board, increasing acceptance of cheap, low quality processed foods. But then the resurgence of inequality saw the gains in food quality that have been made since the 80s entirely miss the least well off.

We have massive cultural issues from the last 40 years (ingrained over the preceding centuries) as gains that could have improved the long term quality of life were spunked up the wall on short term hedonism. This stemmed in large part from Thatcher's policies in the 80s, which were then cemented into place by Blair's glossy pretenses at equality (which mainly just papered over massive structural inequality by borrowing from the future).

We've failed to invest in the NHS adequately and so have lots of people whose health could be better and require less investment at the tail end of life now needing significant care. And we seem to baulk at analysis that would bring more fairness or economic utility to how its money is spent.

Obesity
1980s: 7%
1990s: 15%.
2000s: 25%

2022/2024, 29%

I’m in a city and really the parks are full of people running. It’s probably easier to do a running commute too.

NHS on its knees, especially for anything to do with mental health, an obesogenic environment coupled with a total lack of understanding on what constitutes a good diet, poor quality housing, huge income and cost disparities, the pandemic, many people do not have access to places to exercise.

I asked the same thing because the other countries doing badly are NL, Canada, Germany, US.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5522305-people-in-uk-spend-fewer-years-in-good-health-than-a-decade-ago-study-finds?reply=151947667&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

Stressful lives, sometimes very much so.
Long working hours.
Women doing the double shift.
Lack of outdoor amenities eg lack of swimmers pools.
England’s huge cities lacking outdoor space.
Living longer (but not healthier)

A tradition of cheaper processed food, especially from the industrial revolution and post – war. Even though now our supermarkets stock fantastic food, often better than anything you find on the continent!

The weather
Philistinism
Laziness (most of us can be guilty of that)
Poor housing, people squashed together.
A fair amount of general poverty. Living standards have actually fallen since the early 2000s.

I think physical environment has a bigger impact than we sometimes factor in. Poor air quality. Poor water quality. Less green spaces encouraging movement, play, and the ability to destress and wind down for free. Not enough pavements for road safe walking, and cycle safe roads for free mobility, and encouraging less car usage. Poor quality social housing that is cold, damp, poorly ventilated and mouldy.

Oh and don’t forget the many health problems coming down the line from children being brought up in temporary accommodations (hotel rooms, b&bs..)

I live in Germany where we have the highest expenditure on health care in the EU and we are only one notch higher than the UK.

It might...some will probably have DC in the end. I'm Gen Z and plan to have 2. Most of my friends want kids, too. Improvement of economy would probably mean some people consider it more - this tough spot surely can't last forever..

@AprilMizzel I think it’s much more complicated than just diet.

Some condition are already hitting at younger ages - bowel cancer is one and diets often blamed but recent research shown there may be a change in some E. coli strains producing toxins cause it and that's looks like it may be behind the increase in under 50s bowel cancer.

This!!

Poor diet, glorification of being overweight, little exercise and a non-existent health service … its not a surprise!

@Carla786 but will that offset financial stress? They aren’t having dc so that might help!

I'm an older person and one of the things that stops me going out and about as much as I would like to is the fact that the area I live in is so awful. It is a litter and fly tipping strewn dump with street drinking and open drug dealing going on. Very few people put their wheelie bins away so the narrow streets are actually quite hazardous to walk down if you have poor vision, moblity problems or are a parent pushing a buggy. I live reasonably close to two green spaces but to get there and back I have to walk past so much rubbish that it just makes me depressed so I don't often bother. I don't like inviting people round as even though my home is ok I am embarrassed by the area I live in. Moving is not a finacial option. I am sure that living in a decent area adds to a person's healthy years but I am not sure how this would be proved as there are so many other variables to factor in such as consuming less healthy food, , smoking, and alcohol comsumption which tend to be higher in more economically deprived places.

I get this but has the weather got worse? People were healthier before.

And by this logic, the coldest countries would have the fattest and unhealthiest populations - is this the case?

A 40 hour working week still leaves us with 128 hours to exercise, eat well, sleep, socialise and do whatever else we need to do. It's hardly like we're pushed for time

I think this is too simplistic, I’m trying to fit in more exercise but finding it so tough. I already get up 5:45, don’t work p/t, juggle pick ups and drop offs with DH. I had planned to reduce my hours but finances are tight now.

To be fair Gen Z smoke and drink less and many eat well.

Does that work in the US??

Euro models are what we should have imo.

There was also much more evening classes to meet people and gain new skills. They seem to have completely gone.

IL do a lot of socilaising - some of that is going to the pub but pub closures have hit their area quite hard. So while the alchol consumption probably wasn't great for health the social side was/ is there for them but declining.

I partly agree but if you choose to have kids, you HAVE to try. I understand people falling into despair, and our government is disgraceful. But when you have dependent kids, you can't just feed them crap. Previous generations had war and other serious problems but still cooked etc

I wonder if we had to pay for our health care whether people would take better care of themselves.

Is it because we take the NHS for granted that we take our health for granted too?

Yes it’s a UK problem (if we’re referring to Europe) old, mouldy damp housing, low wages, soaring rents, inadequate welfare system, inadequate health service.. I mean need I go on?

What’s scary if today’s over 50s are unhealthy despite better pensions, more homeowners, lower pension age etc what on earth are generations under them going to be like!