Wondering why the UK rates higher for illness and outcomes

[Irritatediron]

The UK rates higher than our european peers for chronic illness and has significantky worse outcomes for those with these illnesses.

Whats different here than in another european country.

We perform better than the US who is the leader on chronic illness but they have a substantially larger population and worse working conditions so im not surprised.

Wondering why we're more sick than our scandinavian peers. What can i do differently to improve my health - i do suffer with chronic illness.

obr.uk/box/how-do-pre-pandemic-health-trends-in-the-uk-compare-internationally/#:~:text=This%20conclusion%20is%20backed%20up,status%20and%20health%20care%20outcomes.%E2%80%9D

I’m going to guess at lifestyle - too much being indoors, processed food, alcohol and not enough exercise, fresh air and fresh food. Not suggesting this is your issue OP but as a nation we are not the healthiest.

We spend considerably less on healthcare than places like Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark.

www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/features/how-much-does-the-uk-spend-on-health-care-compared-to-europe

Worse healthcare system and def unfitter. There are more bikes than cars in Denmark. I'd love that lifestyle here but who would want to cycle on our roads. Every road Copenhagen has a seperate cycle lane.

Covid will have added to the issue

Lifestyle choices, healthcare not as good and people thinking they should just be able to get a fix from the system.

Healthier lifestyle elsewhere.

More outdoor time, more social connections, more support in families, healthier diet, less virtual interaction.

IME
Spain
Mediterranean diet, lots of unprocessed, simple foods
Outdoor lifestyle, active
Family and friends sharing, joining together

The Netherlands
Cycling as a daily occurrence
Social times, eating and drinking together, often outside
Busy high streets/cafes/markets - giving routine and connection

Culture too. We have a fast culture here, much more so than other countries. They take their time to eat properly by default, and drinking culture tends to be more relaxed too (although smoking rates are higher).

The nhs used to be comparable to other European healthcare systems.

it has slowly fallen behind over the last 20 years.

polish people now go back to Poland for better treatment.

We pay less for health than many other European countries ( and less than the states but that is so unevenly spread with over and under treatment both problem)

and we have a more selfish culture whixh means we pay less towards general health care , which means we drive every where because it’s our right, and we won’t pay to improve shared infrastructure , we eat crap because we deserve a treat, we normalise unhealthy weight under the guise of being respectful of other choices

Covid affected all European countries too.

We don't value our health, we think there is a pill for every ill, despise people who do exercise, have no public health policies, with teeth and expect excellent public services but demand lower taxes.

Its on us.

The culture elsewhere is just so noticeably, tangibly different.

Denmark& Netherlands - quiet clean streets, easy to walk or cycle, great connected public transport with free kids tickets. Play areas literally everywhere, everything set up to welcome dc and families and to expect you to be outside and connecting in the community. Babies are left in prams outside shops, bikes are left in stands without locks, children travel to school and friends without adult supervision.

If you try and cycle here you get yelled at by enraged drivers!

And the outrage when new cycle lanes are built…

But didn't we have more restrictions and more deaths than most other European countries. So in this I am also including the long term mental health issues from covid as well as the long term post covid physical health issues. For example I now have ptsd so have a long term disability but was fine before.

Agreed along with a feeling that it’s up to the NHS to solve all health issues without any intervention from ourselves. Many people regard themselves as passive recipients of healthcare rather than active participants in their own health.

It’s always diet and exercise.
we eat far too much processed and fast food and are pretty sedentary.
I think we work harder too. Our incomes are low and house prices are high. Two people need to work full time. No wonder there’s barely time to rest and take care of ourselves and families.

Yes, in countries like Germany you just can't buy the crap that there are aisles of here.

There is much much less easy access to junk food and far more availability of fresh ingredients, even in small rural areas. Most villages have a butcher, bakery etc.

Lots of places close at lunch or early or at weekends so there is a slower pace with downtime and time to prepare and eat properly with family. Food isn't always available so you snack less. Getting food with drink in a bar or pub is much less common too.

I live in Sweden. The differences I see are, speedy access to healthcare, not as much processed food, outdoor lifestyle, and culture of prioritising health. You won't find swedes dragging their exhausted ill bodies into work.

lifestyle and fresh food,

Being outdoors and moving is not a hobby , it’s a fundamental part in many Europeans countries.
spain , Italy spend less on healthcare compared to UK but are healthier, both countries have High life expectancy too.

When I went to Norway, I was surprised to see how much bread they ate yet stayed slim. The bread isn’t crap bread like you get here and Norwegians seem to be much more outdoorsy even though they get more darkness and cold than we do.

Tbf, here, we usually try and cram extra cycle lanes onto roads that don't have the capacity for them. I'd never cycle down the horrible rat runs they've built in our city. They look so dangerous! They're barely used.

Amsterdam was specifically designed from the ground up so that cycling was safe and preferred, not crammed in as an afterthought.

And it's not just about weather, it's the entire culture around outdoor life. In Finland, the gov. stock camp grounds with firewood and axes, kids are given their own hunting knives aged 13/14, and frequently go out to campgrounds to socialise on their snowmobiles after school in the winter months.

Mind you, I think the population density has a lot to do with it. I grew up in a rural area, and it's a lot more like that. The happiest countries I've visited have a similar size to the UK, but a population of around 4-10m.

My paternal family are healthy and long lived. My dad and his three brothers are late 70s to late 80s and between them the only health issues they have are mild angina, some mild arthritis and the expected deterioration in hearing and sight you expect with older age. They are all still mobile and mentally sharp.

Some of this is genes but what is common is none of them have ever smoked, they drink alcohol but in moderation, they exercise a lot (two were farmers and the other two love walking as a hobby), they are very involved in their local communities, they eat minimally processed food with a lot of fruit and vegetable and fish.

I actually cycled today - in the rain. A kind lady let me go at a mini roundabout - the man in the van behind her screamed vile abuse at us both. So there you go! You try and do the healthy green thing and look what happens!

Dh cycled the length of France not one road rage incident…

Pretty much no preventative healthcare, very little health education, (public health services barely exist now).
Not spending enough on any form of healthcare.
Poor diets
Lack of exercise.
Our cultural behaviours and beliefs including work culture.

From my perspective as a Brit living outside of the UK (Europe) I think one aspect is less of a developed system of preventative medicine. Even people's attitude towards when they should go to the doctor, in the UK the long-standing attitude seems to be only when your leg is falling off. Where I live in Southern Europe people go to the Dr for quite minor things. I think that makes it more likely for serious illness to be detected early/conditions not to become chronic. This attitude in the UK is then compounded by the difficulty getting GP appointments and huge waiting lists of recent years.