Britain’s young ‘are among the unhealthiest in Europe’
YOUNG people in Britain are more likely to be obese, suffer poverty and have a lengthy illness than those from many other countries, according to a report.
A comparison of the lives of 10 to 24-year-olds in the UK with young people in 18 other countries found the UK lagging behind on several key markers of health.
The Nuffield Trust and the Association for Young People’s Health found the UK has the highest obesity rates for 15 to 19-year-olds among 14 European countries, including Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, Greece and Germany. Young people in the UK are also far more likely to be obese if they are poor, with some of the highest inequalities between rich and poor when it comes to obesity rates.
The report added: “Despite living in the world’s fifth largest economy, people aged 20 to 24 in the UK are experiencing one of the highest rates of severe material deprivation.
“Reducing poverty among young people is key to improving health outcomes in the UK.”
The study also found that England has the highest proportion aged 16 to 24 with a long-standing health condition, rising from 13.5 per cent of this age group in 2008 to 18.5 per cent in 2016.
This is higher than European countries like France, Germany, Italy, Greece and Spain.
Exercise levels among 11-yearolds in England and Wales are also poor, while young people in the UK are twice as likely to die from asthma as in any other European country studied.
Nuffield Trust chief executive Nigel Edwards said: “If we don’t take action now, the next generation will be entering adulthood sicker than the one before it.”