Where you live doesn’t determine how long you live. Leading experts say regular testing is needed to end the Postcode Health Lottery.
Shocking new official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the difference in life expectancy between women in Kensington & Chelsea and men in Blackpool is 12.9 years.
New life expectancy statistics for regional areas in England, Northern Ireland and Wales show that life expectancy for males at birth is highest in Hart (around the Fleet in Hampshire) at 83.7 years, and lowest in Blackpool at 73.4 years. . That’s a gap of over 10 years. The highest life expectancy for women is in London’s Kensington and Chelsea at 86.3 years, while the lowest is in Wales’ Blaenau Gwent at 78.9 years, a difference of more than seven years.
This postcode health lottery should not be allowed to continue, leading health experts say.
We should not be doomed to a shorter lifespan than other Britons because of where in the UK we were born. The difference in life expectancy figures between a girl from Chelsea and a boy from Blackpool is unacceptable. Regular health tests and screening will be a powerful tool in ensuring that women born in Blaenau Gwent and men born in Hearts live equally long and healthy lives. ”
Dr. Avinash Hari Narayanan (MBChB), Clinical Director, Institute of Medical Research, London (LML)
“The more we look at these figures, the more we become concerned. In England, Northern Ireland and Wales, life expectancy at birth was actually lower for both men and women in 2020-22 than in 2017-19. And health in the North and South The disparity is clear: nine of the 10 regions with the longest life expectancy for men were in the south of England. For women, the 10 regions with the highest life expectancy were all in the south.
“North-South health disparities are a national concern that needs to be addressed urgently. The highest and lowest male life expectancy in the UK is in the South East (80.1 years) and North East (77.2 years) respectively. The regions with the highest and lowest life expectancy for women in the UK were the South West (83.9 years) and the North East (81.2 years) respectively, with a difference of almost three years.
“Please note that the ONS acknowledges that a decline in menstrual life expectancy does not mean that babies born between 2020 and 2022 will necessarily live shorter lives than those born between 2017 and 2019. Their life expectancy is determined by changes in mortality rates over their lifetime, and if mortality rates improve, life expectancy will return to normal. Regular health check-ups can be essential to improving underlying health determinants and outcomes.
“Regular blood tests can identify many potentially fatal diseases for treatment before people start showing symptoms. Mortality rates (July 2023) show that the leading cause of death in both England and Wales was ‘ischemic’ heart disease (9.9% of deaths in England and 9.6% of deaths in Wales). Ischemic heart disease is a disease in which there is insufficient blood flow to the heart due to blockages in coronary vessels. This condition is strongly associated with several wide-ranging health problems, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
‘There is no way a man born in the heart will have a healthier heart than anywhere else. Latest heart health blood tests pinpoint the main causes of heart complications. Where in the UK do you live? However, these tests are easily available and can be used as the basis for treatment plans that help eliminate health disparities between the North and South.
The London Institute of Medical Research’s Heart Health Profile test is already widely used to identify a number of conditions. A simple finger prick blood test shows risks to your heart health and includes a full cholesterol profile as well as a test for inflammation. We also test for diabetes, which shows how well your body is controlling blood sugar.
‘The Heart Health Profile test can be taken at home by post or at one of the many drop-in clinics offering these tests at over 120 carefully selected pharmacies and health stores in London and across the country. You can receive it at
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London Institute of Medical Research
