life expectancy

• LIFE EXPECTANCY 

  • decline in mortality in the UK from 1830 .Death rate - steadily declined and been a dramatic fall in infant mortality. So life expectancy has steadily increased. For example, in 1900 life expectancy was 50 for men and 57 for women. 2011 Census showed an increase in the number of single person households in women over 65, i.e. 59% of women over 75 whom lived alone. 2021 Census -were more people than ever before in the older age groups; the proportion of the population who were aged 65 years and over was 18.6% (16.4% as recorded in the 2011 Census). 6 
• Reasons for changes in life expectancy

  • Advances in medicine & access to health care
  • Improved public health & welfare provision
  • Changes in nutrition, lifestyle and living standards
  • The decline of traditional dangerous occupations
• Advances in medicine & access to health care

  • Development of medicine has been crucial
  • Creation of the NHS in 1948 resulted in the provision of better and free health care
  • Improved medical knowledge, techniques and organizations helped to reduce death rates
  • Development of immunization against infectious diseases
  • Improved medication, i.e. antibiotics
  • Numerous treatments and operations that lengthen the healthy lives of older people
  • Improved pre and post-natal maternity services
  • Screening for various cancers and diseases so they can be treated at an early stage
  • Access to abortion reduces the risk of death associated with illegal abortions
• Improved public health & welfare provision

  • Improvements in public health and the quality of the environment
  • Introduction of clean piped water into people's homes and sewage and sanitation systems
  • Building of drier, better ventilated, less overcrowded accommodation
  • Laws to combat the adulteration of food and drink and the pasteurization of milk
  • The Welfare State has, since the late 1940s, provided free healthcare and social services, often supporting the elderly
  • Universal and means-tested allowances such as maternity benefits, child benefit, sickness benefit, pensions, free school meals and winter fuel allowances, provide a safety net
  • People are better informed about health, diet and exercise due to health promotion campaigns
• Changes in nutrition, lifestyle and living standards

  • Rapid decline in absolute poverty
  • Rising wages improved standard of living
  • Improvements in nutrition and hygiene which occurred before major medical advances
  • Improved nutrition increases resistance to infection and increases the survival chances of those who did become infected
  • Reduction of the number of people smoking
• The decline of traditional dangerous occupations

  • Decline of dangerous manual occupations such as mining could be an explanation as to why the gender gap in life expectancy is reducing
• Reasons for changes in life expectancy

   Advances in medicine & access to health care 

   Improved public health & welfare provision 

  Changes in nutrition, lifestyle and living standards 

  The decline of traditional dangerous occupations 
• Advances in medicine


  Improved medical knowledge, techniques and organizations, development of immunization against infectious diseases, improved medication (e.g. discovery of penicillin), treatments and operations that lengthen the healthy lives of older people (e.g. heart pacemakers, by-pass operations, hip replacements), improved pre and post-natal maternity services, screening for various cancers and diseases so they can be treated at an early stage, access to abortion reduces the risk of death associated with illegal abortions
• Access to health care


  Development of the NHS in 1948 resulted in better and free health care
• Improved medical knowledge, techniques and organizations, development of immunization against infectious diseases

  1950s
• Jewson: 'Development of medicine and creation of the NHS in 1948 resulted in better and free health care'
• Improved public health & welfare provision

  • Clean piped water into people's homes
  • Sewage and sanitation systems
  • Baths and flush toilets in homes
  • Building of drier, better ventilated, less overcrowded accommodation
  • Laws to combat the adulteration of food and drink
  • Pasteurization of milk
• Poor hygiene was a major killer so public health measures were introduced
• Welfare State


  Provided free healthcare and social services, often supporting the elderly
• Welfare benefits


  • Universal allowances
  • Means-tested allowances (e.g. maternity benefits)
• Welfare benefits provide a safety net so few have insufficient means for adequate food and warm shelter
• Health promotion campaigns


  • People are better informed about health, diet and exercise
  • Many people have quit smoking
  • Many people have adopted healthier behaviors, i.e. exercising
• Changes in nutrition, lifestyle and living standards 


  • Rising wages improved standard of living. Improvements in nutrition and hygiene. Iimproved nutrition important in reducing the number of deaths from TB. Better nutrition increases resistance to infection and increases the survival chances of those who did become infected. 
  • Harper-another reason is the reduction of the number of people smoking. This could be due to health campaigns surrounding the dangers of smoking, added costs due to tax etc. 
• The decline of traditional dangerous occupations


  • decline of dangerous manual occupations such as mining could be an explanation as to why the gender gap in life expectancy is reducing, although women are still expected to live longer, however, the gap is narrowing.