The ‘average Briton lives eight fewer years than the very wealthy. Health inequality affects us allA boy living in the poorest allotment of Westminster or Glasgow,Baltimore or Washington can expect to live 20 years fewer than a boy living in the richest allotment; girls fare slightly better. But most of us do not live in the poorest allotment of cities and can surely seize consolation that this kind of thing doesn’t apply to us. We are wrong. Such consolation is misplaced.
There is a remarkably close link between where you are on the socioeconomic ladder and your health – the higher the rank, the better the health. I call this the social gradient in health. You and I, and not the richest or the poorest,can expect to live for fewer years than the richest and more years than the poorest. The average Brit can expect eight fewer years of healthy life than the person at the top. Unhealthy life means an earlier death and, while you are alive, and your hand grip weakens,your mobility declines, your memory and other cognitive functions decline, and various illnesses accumulate. All of these happen at a progressively faster rate the lower down the social hierarchy you are. Those of us in the middle are not immune. We are allotment of the social gradient in health. And the scale of the problem is enormous.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com