First fall in 35 years for life expectancy

...And Scots STILL dying younger than others in UK

SCOTS are now dying younger following the first drop in life expectancy in 35 years.

The average for men and women declined in the past two years, amid concern that Scotland is failing to tackle its public health crisis.

It came as a separate Scottish Government report revealed that two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, one in three men drinks hazardous or harmful quantities of alcohol and 10 per cent of adults fail to eat any fruit or vegetables over the course of a day.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the average Scots male born between 2015 and 2017 can expect to live to 77, compared to 77.1 in the previous two-year period.

The average for females is 81.1, down from 81.2.

It is the first decline in average lifespan since 1983. The figures are also significantly lower than the UK as a whole, which has an average of 82.9 for women and 79.2 for men. These rates have, however, stalled after nearly four decades of improvement.

Scottish Tory public health spokesman Annie Wells said: ‘For years, increases in life expectancy have indicated improvements in health and quality of life... this is indeed a wake-up call for everyone involved in public health improvement in Scotland, and demonstrates that we cannot be complacent.

‘In addition, Scotland still has the lowest life expectancy of all the UK nations, something that is troubling in itself.’

Since 1980, life expectancy at birth has increased by around eight years for men and six years for women. However, this had largely stalled since 2012.

Scotland’s life expectancy for males and females is lower than every other part of the UK. England has the highest rate, at 79.5 for males and 83.1 for females.

Dr Lewis Morrison, of the British Medical Association Scotland, said: ‘In Scotland, we have consistently had the lowest life expectancy in the UK over the past 35 years. That is why measures that improve public health and support our people to live healthily for as long as possible are more important than ever.’

Alongside the figures, the Scottish Government published its annual Scottish Health Survey, which showed that 24 per cent of Scots drink ‘hazardous or harmful’ quantities of alcohol. For men the figure is 33 per cent. It also revealed that one in ten Scots had eaten no fruit and vegetables on the previous day, while the average adult consumed 3.3 portions – well short of the target of five a day.

According to the report, twothirds of adults are obese or overweight.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Over the long term, life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in Scotland have increased, and premature mortality rates in the most deprived areas are down 11 per cent since 2007.

‘We are focused on addressing the underlying causes that drive health inequalities, which has income inequality at its heart.

‘Our bold package of measures to help tackle key issues such as smoking, obesity, inactivity and alcohol misuse support people to live longer healthier lives.’

‘This is indeed a wake-up call’