Life expectancy now shorter than it was.

[OperationMalena]

From The Guardian, "Life expectancy at retirement now is two years shorter than it was when they did the last review".

So, they aren't increasing the state pension age to 68 YET because our average national life expectancy has decreased. This, plus apparently middle-aged people are fed up and it is a vote loser.

But hey, life expectancy in this country has declined. Our government(s) must be so proud. I mean WTF? How difficult can it be to find decent people in this country to run the place?

If this carries on, maybe they need to bring in retirement earlier.

And it will continue to decline given the obvious increase in poor lifestyle choices. People need to take responsibility for their own health and take more exercise, eat less processed crap, moderate their alcohol intake, etc.

“Life expectancy at retirement”.

Could mean that life expectancy has shortened. Or could mean that average age at retirement has increased. (Or could be a bit of both.)

Does it clarify?

This, but be prepared to be met by howls of rage and lists of excuses why people cannot eat healthier, take minimal exercise etc etc

Why are people making poor life style choices? Good food is expensive and cooking from scratch takes time, many people are just existing, working very long hours and still barely paying the bills. Activities like swimming that used to be cheap are out of reach for many. Are people just more irresponsible since the cost of living crisis or are there factors beyond most individuals control?

I eat healthily, do loads of sports but also have empathy and understand why this is very difficult for many people especially with the current financial situation.

I ignore anything to do with life expectancy figures

why?

who the heck wants more years in their late eighties / nineties

for me… my ears perk up when I hear about improve quality of life in advanced years

I know lots of people seriously ill or who died in their 50s. All ate very healthily, were fit, weren’t overweight at all.

Unless you are unlucky, it IS in your control.
I don't smoke or drink, I sleep well, but I'm fairly sedentary. I just found my blood pressure is a bit high, so I'm dealing with it. (Bit sad, I love salt unfortunately!)
I may still be unlucky and end up with cancer or a heart issue@, but I can reduce my chances.
So many people just refuse to make changes and won't help themselves.

This, but be prepared to be met by howls of rage and lists of excuses why people cannot eat healthier, take minimal exercise etc etc

I'm not going to waste my time but why do you think people with legitimate reasons, usually disabilities, mental health problems etc, would be making 'excuses' if they dared to explain themselves?

Life expectancy hasn’t dropped (actually it has in scotland I believe), it’s just less than they were predicting when they last looked at it.

Diets are sometimes bad because of the pressure of a SAHP to go out and find work. So 5.30pm arrives with hungry children and ultra processed food / processed food is usually quicker and cheaper to cook.

And thus starts the cycle of lazy cooking..... 😔

(I've been there myself. Currently unemployed due to redundancy and now I have time to actually cook from scratch. But I know when I find a job it'll go down hill again)

And it will continue to decline given the obvious increase in poor lifestyle choices. People need to take responsibility for their own health and take more exercise, eat less processed crap, moderate their alcohol intake, etc.

I agree but to a point. I have lived and worked in other countries and I do think my life was easier over there. I would say that we commute longer, work longer hours, don't have as much leisure time, have higher bills and have less family support. I think we are a nation of stressed-out, time-poor people who are uneducated about health and nutrition. Of course, there is personal responsibility but I do feel that the culture and infrastructure here are not a supportive environment for being healthy.

This.
This isn't a bad thing. After over thirty years of nursing there are too many people living too long.

@OperationMalena I've lived in the EU. The children had free breakfast delivered every morning by the bakery man.

The pressure to work Full Time in this country is unbelievable. I've burnout twice. In France, We were encouraged to take it easy on a Friday.

Same in Luxembourg

this. We have lost one person each year for three years - all under 50, all healthy and all sudden. It’s like our young are dying and the old are living on and on. It’s so odd, we know several old people who have literally been at deaths door for years and they are still here. It makes no sense.

I would fully expect to see life expectancy drop as the baby boomer generation ages and the wartime generation die. Just totally different lifestyles.

Also as another poster has already said, I can’t get excited about life expectancy unless we’re also looking at quality of life measurements. No point at all living extra years bedbound in a nursing home.

60% of the population are overweight. 60% of the population do not have disabilities. The majority just eat too much and don't move enough. Of course there will be exceptions but for the most part, people are fat because of choices they make.

We also have the longest working hours in Europe, and the least paid leave.
It’s about time we implemented a four day working week. Isn’t that the whole point of the computer age? Or should we all go back to working down t’mine and breathing in coal dust.

I love that this has become about weight and disgusting fat people. How very mumsnet.

Anecdotal. My gran lived to 85 and was a smoker and an alcoholic. Does that mean that lifestyle is a good idea. No. That's one person. Overall, if you make better lifestyle choices you'll live longer. There's a great TED talk "how to live till 100". Looks at communities of people where many of them live to 100 and still in good health, mobile, doing gardening and walking daily. Most of those communities aren't wealthy so the healthy food is too expensive doesn't really wash.

It’s like our young are dying and the old are living on and on.

I agree, this is scary. All around me, people are getting ill in their 50s with Cancer or something that will make the remaining years unpleasant. The older generation I know including our parents ('70s and 80') all seem fit and strong, playing golf, bowls and going on cruises. Some of them are getting new knees and hips and then being like one of the casts of Cocoon. I am not begrudging them this at all, it makes our lives easier under them. It is just that I don't see a lot of my friends doing this. Many of them seem to be going steeply downhill in their 50s. I just think that the Baby Boomers, and those born just before this,. are generally made of stoic stuff. My dad says it was all that playing out, football in the streets, the 10K round trip walking to school and the food they ate, which appears to be crap, but had no nasties in it.

I think we are a nation of stressed-out, time-poor people who are uneducated about health and nutrition.
But how many cookery progs/ diet books/ cookery books/ get fit experts/ yoga,weights etc on youtube - do people need.

Absolutely! X

Problem is people want tasty food - if kids were served up with mince and tatties, stew and mash, corn beef and cabbage that the older people ate when young they'd turn their noses up.

I’m sure all the chronic insomniacs found this post helpful🙄 what wouldn’t l give to ‘sleep well?’