Baby girls born today 'will spend 17 years in poor health at the end of their lives' - Bournemouth Echo

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Friday, December 20, 2019

GIRLS born in the BCP and Dorset Council areas have a higher life expectancy than the average for the UK.

But experts have warned they will spend 17 years in poor health in old age unless more funding is put into health and social care services.

Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that girls born in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole between 2016 and 2018 have an average life expectancy of 83.5 years with 84.6 years for those in Dorset – above the UK average of 82.9.

But their healthy life expectancy is 66.6 and 67 years respectively, meaning they will spend an anticipated 17 years struggling with their well-being.

Healthy life expectancy is partly based on a survey in which people are asked about their general health.

People who answer that it is “very good” or “good” are classed as having good health, while those answering “fair”, “bad” or “very bad” have poorer health.

Boys born in the two areas between 2016 and 2018 have an average life expectancy of 80.2 years and 80.9 years and can expect to live around 65 of those in good health on average.

While data for healthy life expectancy in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole was not available for 2009 to 2011, across the UK, the amount of time spent in poorer health increased for both sexes over the period.

Angus Hanton, co-founder of the Intergenerational Foundation, which promotes intergenerational fairness, said: “Unless urgent action is taken, we could be consigning children born today, and particularly those from more deprived areas, to longer periods of ill health in old age.

“This is preventable but it needs commitment from the new government to prioritise funding.”

Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said older women are more likely than men to be living on a low income, and could be hit hard by difficulties accessing social care.

She added: “It’s vital that everyone in later life has access to the support and information they need to stay well in retirement, wherever they happen to live.”

Across the UK, average life expectancy at birth for men in 2016-18 was 79.3, while healthy life expectancy was 63.1 years.

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