People in the UK are living in poorer health for longer except for those aged over 65, according to official figures that experts say indicate worsening health outcomes for younger generations.
Data released by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday showed that in the seven years to 2018, healthy life expectancy from birth had not kept up with increasing life expectancy, leaving both men and women in the UK living more years in poor health.
At the same time, healthy life expectancy at age 65 has improved at a faster rate than life expectancy, so over-65s can look forward to more years of life in good health.
The fact that over-65s have seen a larger relative increase in healthy life expectancy reflects increasing health problems among younger people, according to David Finch, a senior fellow at the Health Foundation, a charity.
“This does indicate that a worsening of health is happening among people who are younger than 65,” he said. “We can see this particularly in rises in the mortality of younger age groups, which are acute indicators of bigger problems in health.”
Mr Finch pointed to increases in people of working age reporting mental health conditions, and factors such as increasing childhood obesity and a sharp increase in suicides.
A study by the National Health Service has shown an increase in the prevalence of mental disorders in five-to-15-year olds, from 9.7 per cent in 1999 to 11.2 per cent in 2017.
Deaths relating to drug poisoning in England and Wales increased by 16 per cent in 2018, the sharpest rate in more than 20 years, and the rate of diagnosed diabetes rose from 2.4 per cent of the adult population in England in 1994 to 6.5 per cent in 2017, according to government data.
Mr Finch said the drivers behind the change could be more complex, however, as ONS measures of health depend on people self-reporting whether they perceive themselves to be in good health.
The ONS figures released on Wednesday showed women in 2016-18 spent on average 19.4 years in poor health and 63.6 years in good health. In 2009-11, they spent 18.6 years in poorer health and 63.8 in good health.
Men spent 16.2 in poor health and 63.1 in good health in 2016-18 compared to 15.8 years in poorer health and 62.7 years in good health in the earlier period.
Among older people, on the other hand, healthy life expectancy increased between 2009-11 and 2016-18. Men in England, for example, gained 33.8 weeks of healthy life and in 2016-18 could expect a further 10.6 years of healthy life.
Although there have been small increases in life expectancy at birth in the last 5 years, the size of the increases are much smaller than in the 2000s.
Mr Finch said increases in healthy life were happening among a generation benefiting from past “cohort-level” improvements and showed the influence of longer-term trends.
“If you’re looking at healthy life expectancy from 65, you’re not including people who didn’t make it,” he said.
Last month, the ONS reported that “70 could be the new 65” thanks to people both living longer and staying healthier.
It found men in the UK had an average of 15 years of life remaining at the age of 70, up five years more compared with 1997.
For women, the remaining life expectancy of 70-year olds in 2017 was the same as those aged 65 in 1981, and the proportion of 70-year-olds in poor general health in 2017 was the same for 60-year-olds in 1981.
The statistics prompted the ONS to say in a statement that “age may not be the most appropriate measure to use when considering the health of our ageing population”.
