by A healthy life expectancy of women in the most disadvantaged areas of England and Wales has fallen to the lowest level since the beginning of the latest records. The women will probably only spend two thirds of their lives in good health.
Women who live in wealthier parts of England will probably enjoy two decades of healthy life, as the latest data for national statistics (ONS) have shown.
Female babies who were born in the most disadvantaged areas of England between 2020 and 2022 should only spend 65.1% of their lives in good health compared to 81.5% in the least disadvantaged areas, the ONS found.
The estimate for the most disadvantaged areas has been the lowest since the beginning of the series in 2013-15 when it was 66.3%.
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“We have higher illness rates in this country than ever before, and that has a disproportionate affect women than men,” said Emma Frew, professor of the University of Birmingham Health Economics and research professor at the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
“The effects of the cost of living, the two-child cap on advantages this, women disproportionately affect more than men because it tends to have more responsibility for childcare.
“They contribute more to unpaid care, there are higher rates of mental health problems and high rates in domestic violence that focus on girls and women.”
The inequality break between men and women has grown. Men were born in the most disadvantaged areas in 2020-22, which are expected to spend 70.4% of their lives in good health compared to 84.5% for the least disadvantaged.
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The gap between richer and poorer areas has also expanded for both genders-for women it rose from 19.6 years in the period 2013 to 15 to 20.2 years in 2020 to 22, while it has grown from 18.7 to 19.1 for men.
In Wales, female babies who were born in the most subjected areas in 2020-22 can expect 61.5% of their lives to spend the lowest estimates in the years 2013-15. In the least disadvantaged areas, the number is 80.7%.
“We see an increasing degree of poverty because the cost of living such as the cost of living that has pushed more households in food uncertainty states,” said FREW. “We consider ourselves a fairly developed country, but there are parts of the country that achieve economic and health results that are much more similar to developing countries.”
Compared to the pandemic period before the corona virus from 2017-19, life expectancy at birth in England from 2020 to 2022 in the most disadvantaged areas for men has decreased by 1.4 years to 72.6 years and for women by 1.1 years.
“We have people who still have a similar life expectancy, but not a healthy life expectancy. I think that is the most important metric health service, and the local authorities really aim because it not only makes people live longer, but we have to make people live healthier and longer,” said Frew.
“There must be a really concerted health and equality strategy that examines these gender-specific differences.”
