Via the Institute for Health Metric and Evaluation at the University of Washington: Rates of premature mortality are two times higher in the most deprived areas of England, compared to most affluent. Excerpt:
Rates of premature mortality are two times higher in the most deprived areas of England (Blackpool), compared to the most affluent (Wokingham), according to a new comprehensive analysis of health at a local, national, and regional level across the UK.
In addition, the study reveals the huge burden of disability linked to long-term conditions such as low back and neck pain, anxiety, and depression, highlighting the need for health services to adapt to managing these conditions.
While overall rates of premature death have improved since 1990, half of all premature deaths in 2016 were linked to risk factors including tobacco use, unhealthy diet, alcohol and drug use, obesity, and high blood pressure, pointing to the urgent need for policies and programs targeting prevention, especially in areas outside the control of the health service.
The study, from the Global Burden of Disease initiative, provides data on premature mortality, disability, and risk factors from 1990 to 2016 for 150 Upper-Tier Local Authority (UTLAs) in England, as well as Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, with the aim of informing resource allocation and priorities at a local, regional, and national level.
Years lived with disability exceed years of life lost
Ischemic heart disease was the leading cause of premature death in the UK in 2016, and rates were two times higher in men than in women. Self-harm was the third leading cause of premature death for men.
In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (but not Scotland), the years lived with disability exceeded the years of life lost. Low back and neck pain, skin and subcutaneous diseases, migraine, depressive disorders, sense organ disorders, and anxiety disorders were the leading causes of disability.
“As death rates decrease, people continue to live with long-term, often multiple, conditions,” says Professor Nicholas Steel, lead author, University of East Anglia, UK. “Our findings show a significant shift from mortality to morbidity, yet our health services are still designed to deal with the big killers. Today, conditions such as back and neck pain and anxiety and depression are huge causes of disability in the UK.”
Health and deprivation
Rates of premature mortality from all causes were more than two times higher in the most deprived UTLAs in England (Blackpool), compared to the most affluent (Wokingham, Surrey, Windsor and Maidenhead, and West Berkshire).
Rates of premature mortality were consistently higher for the 15 most deprived areas of England, compared to the 15 least deprived, and the association with deprivation was particularly strong for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
