Study finds drop in life expectancy for poor

Report suggests UK government is partly to blame

LONDON — Life expectancy for English women in the most deprived communities outside London declined over the past 10 years and stalled a century-long trend toward longer lives, according to a report published Tuesday that suggests government austerity was partly to blame for a widening health gap across England.

University College London epidemiology professor Michael Marmot, who led the research and directs the university’s Institute of Health Equity, described the findings about England’s “lost decade” as shocking. The damage to the population’s health and well-being from the failure to reduce economic health disparities is unprecedented, he said.

“The U.K. has been seen as a world leader in identifying and addressing health inequalities, but something dramatic is happening,” Marmot said. “Put simply, if health has stopped improving it is a sign that society has stopped improving.”

Life expectancy for women in the most deprived areas of England fell by 0.3 years between 201012 and 2016-18, compared with an increase of about 0.5 years for those at the top of the socioeconomic ladder, the report said. At the same time, child poverty increased, with 70% of children who are raised by unemployed single parents living in poverty.

Across England, life expectancy for men rose by about six months during the period to 79.6 years, while the figure for women increased by about four months to 83.2 years.

During the previous century, life expectancy generally improved by about one year every four years.

The report is a follow-up to an earlier review of health inequalities published in 2010 that was conducted at the request of the British government when it was led by the Labour Party.

While researchers cannot say definitively that cuts in government spending following the global financial crisis are to blame for widening health gaps, the data suggests a clear link, Marmot said.

Government cutbacks have led to the closure of children’s centers, education funding decreases, greater use of precarious employment practices such as zero-hour contracts, a shortage of affordable housing and a rise in homelessness, Marmot said.

He also noted that many people don’t have enough money to lead a healthy lifestyle and large numbers are forced to turn to food banks to feed their families.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock responded by noting that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government has pledged to spend an additional $44 billion a year on the National Health Service.

The Labour Party’s spokesman on health issues, Jonathan Ashworth, described the report as a “devastating verdict on 10 years of austerity under the Conservatives.”