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?

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!

lol, are you being serious? 😂

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

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.

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.

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.

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 😭

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

I wondered that too. My older sister in her 60s and has a bit of arthritis but is fit and active. She would probably report as being in good health, because she is, despite the arthritis. Someone else might think that having arthritis means they must report as being in poor health.

Back in the 60s and70s, adults joined clubs around their hobbies/interests, be it amateur dramatics or showing roses or pigeon racing.

@mugglewump the French do have a UPF problem. I spend a lot of time in France and they definitely have an addiction to McDonalds.

Most McDonalds in Europe!

Buy seasonal vegetables, and fruit. Bananas, and apples, are not expensive, carrots, and potatoes, spring greens, broccoli, are cheap. Salads consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc do not need to be cooked. I know that of course finances comes into play, but the fact remains, imo, that lots of people have no desire to eat in the way that would be beneficial to them, and their children. I am not including children with special dietary needs here.

Are they? Maybe those of the previous generations who lived longer; life expectancy was ten years less in the UK in 1960. People didn't have to worry about their older old age because of the slim chance of reaching it!

No point looking at averages to work things out on an individual level. These are done from population level surveys.

Have a think about how many people (eg with chronic long term conditions) would be answering they are in poor health starting in their teens and twenties, but still living to a ripe old age. Could include asthma, type 1 diabetes, ME, even people with what you'd think of as disabilities may also define themselves as in poor heath.

That means the average years of poor health is skewed a bit. They don't really have a "years of poor health for people who don't otherwise have a lifelong chronic condition"

Unmanaged T2 diabetes -> organ damage -> stroke/dementia

In old age minor ailments will be treated so that the final years are dragged out in miserable ill health.

We now survive things which killed previous generations but late diagnosis means we dont survive them well.

What we dont seem to have got to is an acceptance that an old age in miserable ill health is not good for individuals or society.

One solution to stop automatic active treatment of anything for anyone over the age of, say, 75. This is the cheap option. People could request active treatment but would need to demonstrate that they will benefit from it.

I don’t think it is cycling as an activity that people hate, it is dangerous cycling - going through red lights, wearing headphones, not making themselves visible in the dark, cycling on pavements. Generally no excuse for any of this and certainly doesn’t make it safe for the cyclist.

Bunnylake

such a true statement you’ve made, so MUCH easier in bright spring weather to get a wiggle on and do things

Is there an element to this that with the NHS, anyone in the UK can at least report that they are in ill health and ask for support treatment? So the reporting of health concerns is also high/as high as it could reasonably be?

Not saying we get A++ health care at all times - but in the UK all have the ability and reason to report illness - whereas in the USA for example, people will have health concerns and let themselves stay untreated due to lack of access/costs etc. So it's not reported.