British women living in most deprived areas die younger than those in Latvia, Hungary and Columbia: Report

A report by the Health Foundation has said that British women living in the poorest areas die younger than those dwelling in Latvia, Hungary, and Columbia which are a part of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The analysis shows that the average life expectancy of women living in the most deprived or the poorest areas of England is 78.7. This is worse than the average life expectancy in most OECD countries excluding Mexico.

These areas include Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Knowsley, Livingston, Manchester, Blackpool, Birmingham, Burnley, Blackburn with Darwen, and Hartlepool.

According to the director at the Health Foundation, Jo Bibby “The government has committed to addressing stalling life expectancy and this has been described as a core part of the levelling up agenda.”

“However, it has so far failed to acknowledge the mountain it needs to climb to bring life chances in the UK in line with other comparable countries.”

Meanwhile, the women living in the the richest areas live almost 7 years and eight months longer. Their average life expectancy is 86.4 years. These areas include, Hart, Wokingham, South Northamptonshire, Rutland and Chiltern.

Bibby said, “When OECD countries are ranked by life expectancy, the UK comes in 25th, a somewhat disappointing showing for the world’s fifth-largest economy.”

“However, an even more concerning picture emerges when we look at the gap between the rich and poor. The stark reality … is that the poorest can expect to live shorter and less healthy lives than their richer counterparts.”

According to Anneliese Dodds, Chair of the Labour Party of the United Kingdom, “Everywhere you look the Tories are letting women down, whether it’s their inability to confront the cost of living crisis, their broken promise to deliver a women’s health strategy or their failure to tackle the entrenched structural inequalities in healthcare that are putting black, Asian and minority ethnic women at risk.”

In response, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said, ''We are committed to levelling up health across the country and our health disparities white paper, due later this year, will set out action to reduce the gap in health outcomes between different places, so that people’s backgrounds do not dictate their prospects for a healthy life.''

“We are also set to publish our women’s health strategy later this year to tackle gender health inequality and ensure everyone gets the high-quality care they need.

“We are also helping local authorities improve public health by increasing their grant to just over £3.4bn this year. We are investing a further £36bn in overall health and care over the next three years to put in place comprehensive reforms that are sustainable and fit for the future.”