Stalling life expectancy in the UK

Abstract

We must look at austerity and beyond for underlying causes

Potential gains in life expectancy from reducing amenable mortality among people diagnosed with serious mental illness in the United Kingdom

“…[37] To quantify the expected average annual amount of change in life expectancy, we have divided the total gain in life expectancy at birth by the number of years during a specific period. Given the stable mortality rates and modest change in life expectancy over the past decade within the general population, [38] we have considered a 20-year period as a reasonable timeframe for projecting likely average annual amount of change in life expectancy among people with SMI. In addition, we computed the arithmetic average percentage of change in life expectancy during a 20-year period by dividing the average amount of annual change by the expectancy value at the beginning of the period, using the following formula: [33] 1.…”

Trends in life expectancy in EU and other OECD countries

“…2. With the increasing prevalence of multimorbidity in many populations, countries should be encouraged to undertake timely analyses of mortality records not just by underlying cause of death, but also by secondary causes of death (Raleigh, 2018a). Such analyses can help to identify patterns of co-morbidity and the true burden of conditions that trigger death but may not be coded as the underlying cause (eg CVD, heart failure or influenza), and circumvent some of the problems posed by changes in diagnostic, death certification and coding practices (as with dementia and Alzheimer's disease),…”

“…4. In addition to vital statistics data, register-based or linked data can provide valuable insights into understanding epidemiological trends and disparities (Jasilionis, 2018, Raleigh 2018a). This is especially important given the increasing prevalence of multimorbidities in the ageing populations of many countries, which make it difficult to interpret analyses of mortality records.…”

“…There has been debate in England about the impact of "austerity" on health, care and other public services, and the knock-on effects on slowing mortality improvements among older people. Overall, the evidence suggests that causation is likely to be multifactorial (PHE, 2018c, Raleigh, 2018a.…”

Stalling life expectancy and increased mortality in working ages deserve urgent attention

“…The effect of austerity and associated budgets are strong contenders, 3,4 although international parallels in the experiences of the UK possibly weaken arguments as to any significant causal role played by austerity. 5 For infant mortality, however, clear evidence exists that austerity is having an effect. 6 In The Lancet Public Health, David Leon and colleagues 7 provide a telling contribution to these debates, particularly in unpacking what is unique about the UK relative to other high-income countries.…”