Latest news with #prematuredeath
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Is YOUR neighbourhood a premature death hotspot? Interactive map reveals the areas of England and Wales where men are most likely to die young
Dozens of areas of England and Wales have today been flagged as premature death hotspots. Blackpool South has the highest premature mortality rate, MailOnline analysis shows. For every 100,000 men living there, nearly 730 died last year before turning 75. Although that rate appears small, it is 3.4 times higher than in North East Hampshire (214.3 per 100,000) – the area of the country where men have the best chances of avoiding an early grave. Professor Karol Sikora, an oncologist with 40 years of experience who once advised ministers and acted as the World Health Organization 's cancer chief, described the rate in Blackpool South as 'dreadful'. He added: 'Anything above 500 is bad news.' Yet Government figures suggest 76 of the 575 parliamentary constituencies – or one in eight – exceed that rate. All rates are age-standardised, meaning they factor in the age distribution of different areas, this is because comparing two populations that have different age structures is not fair. How are premature deaths calculated? Someone is counted as dying prematurely if they die before the age of 75. Statisticians use age-standardised mortality rates to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. This is because age is the biggest factor when it comes to mortality rates. For example, a neighbourhood home to swathes of over-60s would, in theory, record more premature deaths than a student hotspot. Therefore, factoring in the ages of the two places would allow a fairer comparison on relative mortality experience in each area, according to experts. The rate is usually per 100,000 population. Professor Sikora said: 'These scores reflect poverty. 'People with less money have less education, and they tend to have more unhealthy lifestyles, from everything to smoking, alcohol, obesity, everything you can imagine, lack of exercise, poor diets, poor housing conditions. 'All this leads to illness, and that leads to earlier mortality. 'It is bound to get worse without major policy changes.' However, Professor Sikora points out that not all communities face the same outcomes. He said: 'There are some exceptions. I mean, it's quite amazing. For example, the South Asian population in Slough live remarkably long, and they do remarkably well, and they tend not to be obese. So it's not just poverty, it's a whole series of things around it.' The original mortality data, held by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), lay bare a clear North-South divide. Out of the 20 constituencies with the worst premature death rates, 13 of them were in the north and three in the Midlands. For comparison, 16 out of 20 areas with the lowest figures were in the south. Behind Blackpool South came Middleborough and Thornaby East (685.8) and Leeds South (670.4). Premature deaths may happen from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, injuries, violence and even suicide. Although Professor Sikora explains the main driver of premature mortality is lifestyle, he says a secondary factor is access to healthcare. He said: 'We have a free system, the NHS. But we know that poorer people access it differently from wealthier people, even though it's free. 'So it's not so much wealth. It's education. The better educated people can use a complex system more effectively than people who have no education. 'They just know how not to get aggressive, because getting aggressive doesn't help, but how to push for what they want in a quiet sort of way, and so access to health care.' Professor Sikora also points out that the best specialists and the best GPs often choose to live in the most desirable areas, not in deprived areas. The ONS data, which defines a premature death to be anything before 75, does not include Scotland or Northern Ireland. The analysis comes after a study last year concluded one in four premature deaths will be due to cancer between 2023 and 2050. This equates to around 50,000 per year, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It warned that the 'current trajectory of cancer costs is unsustainable'. Professor Sikora says cancer deaths often follow the same pattern as other deaths, with lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol, obesity, lack of exercise, poor quality, diet, all posing risks. He also said poorer people are less likely to access treatment as they don't go for screening, don't have mammograms and don't turn up for tests when they're asked to. 'They often just don't bother going to the hospital, or when they do, they go when it's late. They haven't got the money to get on public transport and get there. So they just skip the hospital appointments and so on', he said. Peter Matejic, chief analyst at the poverty fighting charity Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: 'It's heartbreaking that some areas have such high rates of premature deaths. 'We have known that there are links between poverty and worse health outcomes for decades, and as a nation that is a gap we should be narrowing. 'Many factors throughout your life can lead to dying prematurely, but your economic situation affects your health at every stage, from what you eat as a child to whether you can afford essentials as an adult. 'The nation's health needs a real focus from the government but this isn't just about the NHS – it's about whether people are able to lead healthy lives with dignity and hope.'
The Guardian
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Becoming obese under age of 30 ‘raises risk of early death by at least 75%'
Becoming obese under the age of 30 increases the chances of premature death by more than 75%, a large-scale study has found. Nearly two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese, while NHS data shows that the average man now weighs more than 85kg (13st 5lb) and the typical woman about 73kg (11st 7lb), more than 6kg heavier than they were in 1993. While excess weight is more common with age, the Swedish research shows that putting on extra weight in early adulthood has a sharply disproportionate impact on mortality risk, compared with those who gained weight later. Researchers, led by academics from Lund University, Malmö, Sweden, tracked 620,000 adults aged 17-60 and found that women who became obese under the age of 30 were 84% more likely to die early, while men were 79% more likely when they were compared with those who did not gain weight in young adulthood. Patients typically gained about half a kilogram a year until the age of 60, but for the under-30s, each additional half kilogram increased their mortality risk by 24% for men and 22% for women. The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Málaga followed male participants for an average of 23 years and females for 12 years. The researchers calculated that weight gain before the age of 30 substantially increased the likelihood of early death from a range of conditions, in particular heart disease and type 2 diabetes. For women, weight gain increased their risk of dying early from cancer at any age. Huyen Le, the lead researcher, said the findings showed how crucial it is to avoid weight gain in teenage years or the 20s. She said: 'Gaining weight early in adulthood, or developing obesity at a young age, is linked to a higher risk of dying from many chronic diseases later in life.' While weight gain after 30 also increased the chance of early death, it was not as dramatic. It increased mortality risk for those aged 30-45 by 52% and for those aged 45-60 by just over 25%. Prof Tanja Stocks, a senior researcher, said 'cumulative, long exposure likely causes these diseases' and called for greater efforts to prevent weight gain in young adults, with improved access to healthier foods, and encouragement of exercise. She said: 'Supporting healthy habits during this critical life stage can have lasting benefits. Even modest weight gains in your 20s can significantly increase the risk of early death if they persist over several years. The earlier people embrace healthy living, the better the chance of a long life.' Responding to the findings, Sonia Pombo, the head of impact and research at Action on Salt, said: 'This important new study provides yet more compelling evidence that weight gain, particularly in early adulthood, has a profound and lasting impact on health and longevity. 'It is clear that we are failing to protect young people from environments that promote poor diets. Urgent action is needed to reformulate unhealthy food and drink, restrict marketing to children and young adults, and make healthy options the easiest, most affordable choice.' Katharine Jenner, the director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: 'This study is yet another wake-up call. Gaining excess weight early in life doesn't just increase the risk of obesity – it can shorten lives by driving up rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and poor mental health. 'Many young people are on course to reach obesity by 30, driven by a food environment dominated by fast food deals, oversized portions and highly processed products. 'This is the consequence of decades of failure by the commercial food system and the lack of action by government to fix it. 'Preventing obesity in the first place is essential if the government is serious about delivering five extra healthy years of life and narrowing the life expectancy gap. 'That means more than treatment – we need bold action to make healthy food the easy, affordable and appealing choice.'
