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

[BePunnyLilacCrow]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20q07w3gl9o

I just read an article about healthy life expectancy in the UK, and I find it quite sad that we are basically at the bottom of the list among the world’s richest countries. Even the US is better than the UK on average??

Life expectancy in the UK is:

Men: ~79-80 years
Women: ~83-84 years

BUT

Men spend about 19–20 years in poorer health
Women spend about 22–23 years in poorer health

I know that the UK has relatively good overall life expectancy, but that mainly means we are keeping people alive for longer. Unfortunately, those extra years are often not spent in good health. These facts are not true for wealthier parts of the UK, but even the more affluent areas still tend to have lower healthy life expectancy than many average European countries. I am curious what
people think about the contributing factors? I think:

• Weaker family/social connections (I seriously think this is a big one)
• Obviously diet + high consumption of UPFs
• Low every day
activity (again, loneliness contributes to this esp. for the elderly)

There are many reasons, but in my opinion these contribute a lot. Especially weak social life I see in the UK compared to most countries I’ve lived/been to. For example something as simple as cooking together with people, or for family gatherings etc can have a huge impact on how people eat, because you are encouraged more to home cook food in that way, rather than just get a greasy takeaway or eat out, or just get a rubbish supermarket ready meals most people have etc.

This post is not about judging anyone’s lifestyle choices. But I think we should all be concerned about this because there is no point in living longer if it’s spent in illness. And I’m saying this as someone under 30.

What do you think? How can we improve these measures and live a better life in the UK?

@PansyPapers I agree about the loss of connection when we are at a time when we are the most most connected but electronically. My neighbour is 100 this year she said these days most get in their cars on their drives so there is no passing in the street.

I just looked screen time is averaging 7 hours a day for adults in the UK, including TV.

That like apprenticeships seem to be very area dependent despite what MN often seems to think - I have looked on-line and in RL.

I was trying to get a language course - you get pointed to apps and sometime on-line classes.

I also wasn't saying it's the only way to meet people - but many groups here closed post covid - IL walking groups pretty much on it's last legs due to coach costs. It's just a general decline in meeting oppotunties - like the pub closures in IL area - and I'm not anti tech it helps us keep in better touch with kids at uni for example.

Also post covid with cost of living crisis disposal income dropped and food and going out were easiest areas for us to cut - can't image that we are not alone in that.

The GP I heard on radio 4 a did point to loneliness which I image is affected by many things - one thing they daid they were doing was pointing people to support groups to counter this.

TBH it's poverty causing the disparity it leads to poor housing options, less good diets and poorer communities seem to also have weaker social connections.

Even keeping pets with vet bills and food price increases is harder on lower incomes - though again some charties exist to help - but dog walking a common way to interact with wider community of regular basis that therefore harder for poorer people to do.

Because he is already on the team & really enjoys it?

Im really confused by your point @marsbarslice are you saying I should stop any sport or music classes my dc love so that I could do what I want? I think that’s a weird take plus I can’t leave them alone so would still need either childcare or something we can do together.

Surely the poster knows her own son and his preferences better than you?

I would hope so @WildGarden

I never did organised activities - my parents just never presented them as an option lol.

How old are you @marsbarslice? I did loads of dancing as a dc/teen. I loved it, my mum whacking on a tape and doing it with me in the kitchen just wouldn't have been the same!

@frozendaisy Thanks, I’m baffled that team sports for my dc is a bad thing!

I agree @circusrunaways- on a thread about reduced health outcomes, for someone to suggest that you stop your DS’s cricket sessions is completely bizarre.

We can give our opinions here, but it won't do anything to change the situation. It's out there in black and white and on TV and radio how to age better. You can't change people, you can only change yourself.

But the conclusions of the report say that change at government level need to be enacted to help and enable more widespread change by individuals.

" that just reiterates the Mediterranean / southern Europe obesity also experienced by Greece Italy and Spain"

I haven't seen that in Italy and Spain. Yes, you do see a big difference between the young and old and there's a tradition of women ballooning once married with children, but the young people seem very thin compared to more northern countries in Europe.

"walking groups pretty much on it's last legs"

Sorry, but that made me laugh.

Not true. We have elections coming up in Scotland and Wales now and local ones in some parts of England. People can put pressure on candidates to develop policies to improve people's health.

The statistics show the high obesity levels in these countries

Why is that then? Although I know that not everyone in the Mediterranean eats the traditional Mediterranean diet, their diet does seem to be better than that of northern Europe - they can grow some things more easily with their more months of sunlight and they have olives. I'm really surprised.

Malta, I can imagine because I don't think they can grow that much there and their young people are also quite big, but as I said, many of the young Italians I've met have been thin as rakes.

You can develop all sorts of policies, but those who won't exercise, cook or eat healthily will not benefit. There is enough information in the public domain. If some people can order up a takeaway delivery and settle down in front of the TV or phone with a couple of cans as well they will do that in preference to getting up to make a healthy meal or do any sort of exercise.

Because it’s a worldwide problem. I don’t know why the surprise- surely people don’t think it’s just a UK/ US problem?

No, but we're comparing countries to each other. I live in a northern European country with pretty high consumption of UPFs and a not particularly healthy food culture (not UK) and countries that I considered healthier, with better food culture have higher levels of obesity according to you so I'm curious to know why.
It's not a world wide problem to the same extent everywhere.
They don't have an obesity problem in Japan, do they?

" If some people can order up a takeaway delivery and settle down in front of the TV or phone with a couple of cans as well they will do that in preference to getting up to make a healthy meal "

Why can't we order a healthy meal by takeaway then?
Why can't we promote and subsidise healthy food, including ready made ones? I'm sure there are ways.

In London you can get healthy-ish fast food in places like Pret. In smaller, poorer towns, it's all Greggs. I know that's because of demand, but policies can help that kind of thing.

Yes, some of us are never going to back to shopping in five different shops for different types of ingredients and cooking from scratch every day. Let's work with that to have healthier options.