People in England 'set to live longer with ill health in future'

The number of people in England living for many years with problems such asarthritis andback pain is likely to increase in the coming years. This is according to a new report from Public Health England, which has called for action to be taken to make sure that people are not having the later years of their extended lifespans marred by ill health. Life expectancy rise outstripping people's ability to live healthily The Health Profile for England report has been compiled by Public Health England using a wide range of population health data, which has been analysed to give an overall picture of the long-term wellbeing of people across the country. It revealed that people are now living longer than ever, with life expectancy in England having reached 79.5 years for males and 83.1 years for females. However, this is not a wholly positive trend, as many of these years are characterised by chronic health problems. Boys born between 2013 and 2015 have an average healthy life expectancy of just 63.4 years, meaning they will spend another 16.1 years in poor health, while girls are only expected to remain healthy for 64.1 years, meaning they could be ill for nearly two decades. The two biggest risk factors for ill health were highlighted as excess weight and high blood sugar, while lower back andneck pain were cited as the biggest causes of ill health. Taking action for longer, healthier lives The report called for a number of steps to address this problem, including an increased fo...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news