Women’s life expectancy declining

[Peapod29]

Did anyone listen to the world at one yesterday on radio 4? They had a great piece about how the poorest women’s life expectancies are in decline, and they think the reason (the experts they interviewed were certain) that the public service cuts and benefits cuts fall disproportionately on women (we knew this already). This is strong evidence that this is actually killing women. They also had a doctor describing how the cuts in her area had affected her patients in the post natal period (lack of breastfeeding support, no sure start centres) and how all these things lead to higher costs in the long run for the nhs/local councils. Well done WATO for highlighting this issue as I’ve not seen it reported much in the other MSM. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-51619608

Just to add to the complexity, Ben Barr has an interesting thread (engagement elsewhere by Michael Marmot who thinks it's an interesting perspective) that 'Vote Leave' areas are those that are showing the greatest declines in the rate of growth of life expectancy etc.:

The places experiencing recent adverse trends in life expectancy are much more likely to have voted leave in EU referendum. This seems to ‘explain’ the recent pattern of LE change more than many other factors (e.g deprivation)

twitter.com/Benj_Barr/status/1232635724425498624

Women are drinking more but the whole population smokes less (men and women both smoked in astonishingly high numbers until the declines started in the 70s and 80s)

Indeed. My mother died thirty years ago and nearly all her generation smoked.

Interesting to see how the interpretation of the experts is being dismissed.

Given that men don't live as long it makes sense that they would still have potential gains in life expectancy while women wouldn't.

Interesting to see how the interpretation of the experts is being dismissed
Yes, seems to be very fashionable in recent years with Gove saying people in this country have had enough of experts.

So I see they again that people regard themselves as poor without really understanding poverty. Where there isn't the money to feed yourself and keep the lights on. When it's not a choice of apple or biscuits for a snack, but all you can afford to spend that whole day, and porridge is out as the cooker is off

Although that level of poverty is rare, there is also the other level, where you treat yourself because it's the only thing you look forward to. Which is fundamentally why poor people often drink and smoke. It wastes money they haven't got, makes their health worse. But gives a moments fun,

Why bother looking after your health, for a future which you honestly believe is going to be as shit as your present?

What's the point?

Looking after your health is planning for the future.

You need to have hope to do that.

PigletJohn Yes, and Yes. In the South-East and the North-East.

Elderly parents and in-laws, all alive and in their 80's and 90's. Various health issues among them, including:

Breast Cancer - 15 years ago
Heart Bypass - 10 years ago
Stroke - 20 years ago
Prostrate Cancer - 5 years ago
Life Long Asthma
Hip Replacement - 20 years ago

Plus many and various, random operations for this, that and the other.

Yes I posted the link to this yesterday but nobody said anything!

So you did Stumbledin. Sorry. Not sure how I missed that as I was looking at Feminism Chat at about the time you posted. Here’s the link to the full report. I want to read the original as there are some points made up thread that I think would be good to check (eg rate of increased life expectancy versus actual life expectancy) in the original, not just filtered by media reports.

www.instituteofhealthequity.org/about-us/the-institute-of-health-equity/our-current-work/collaborating-with-the-health-foundation-