‘Deeply worrying’ trend as life expectancy between rich and poor widens

The gap between the life expectancy of the richest and poorest sectors of society in England is increasing, according to new research from Imperial College London.

The research, published in the journal Lancet Public Health, also reveals that the life expectancy of England’s poorest women has fallen since 2011, in what researchers say is a ‘deeply worrying’ trend.

The study analysed Office for National Statistics data on all deaths recorded in England between 2001 and 2016 – 7.65 million deaths in total.

The results revealed the life expectancy gap between the most affluent and most deprived sectors of society increased from 6.1 years in 2001 to 7.9 years in 2016 for women, and from 9.0 to 9.7 years in men.

The life expectancy of women in the most deprived communities in 2016 was 78.8 years, compared to 86.7 years in the most affluent group. For men, the life expectancy was 74.0 years among the poorest, compared to 83.8 years among the richest.

Professor Majid Ezzati, senior author of the research from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said: ‘Falling life expectancy in the poorest communities is a deeply worrying indicator of the state of our nation’s health, and shows that we are leaving the most vulnerable out of the collective gain.

‘We currently have a perfect storm of factors that can impact on health, and that are leading to poor people dying younger. Working income has stagnated and benefits have been cut, forcing many working families to use foodbanks. The price of healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables has increased relative to unhealthy, processed food, putting them out of the reach of the poorest.’

The diseases that were particularly prevalent with the poor were newborn deaths and children’s diseases, respiratory diseases, heart disease, lung and digestive cancers, and dementias.

In 2016, children under five years old from the poorest sectors of society were 2.5 times as likely to die as children from affluent families.

‘This study suggests the poor in England are dying from diseases that can be prevented and treated,’ added Professor Ezzati.

Following a recent two week tour of the UK, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights claimed that government policies and benefit cuts have inflicted ‘unnecessary misery’ in the UK.

‘In the fifth richest country in the world, this is not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster, all rolled into one,’ said Philip Alston.