By Liv Thomson
The average life expectancy in Scotland has fallen for the third year in a row, according to new data. Since 2019, Scotland has been falling behind the rest of the UK and the world in life expectancy rates. In more impoverished areas of Glasgow, men are living an average 76.5 years, while women are living an average of 80.7 years. However, in wealthier areas such as East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire, life expectancy rates are higher for both men and women, at 79.9 years and 84 years respectively.
The Cost of Living’s Impact
Professor Gerry McCartney, at the University of Glasgow, talks about the impact that inflation has had on shaping these figures, amid the UK’s ongoing cost of living crisis.
“Income is a very important determinant of health, so it influences the health of populations.”
Professor Gerry McCartney, University of Glasgow
Citing the failure of wages and benefits to keep up with rising living costs, Professor McCartney says that inflation has been “disproportionately high for those already in lower incomes”. he goes on to explain how the pressures of keeping up with bills and maintaining poor housing can have a impact “physical and mental health.”
Gayle, a nurse within an intensive care unit in Lanarkshire, spoke about the patients she has been seeing more of in her job recently:
Making Healthy Choices
People and their choices are an important part of life expectancy in Scotland. Further to her observations of the health inequalities within medical settings, Gayle proposes that alcoholism is on the rise in young people, with more people presenting to ICU with “alcoholic liver disease.” While statistics indicate that this disease may be becoming more prevalent, Danny Bird, founder of 2 Birds fitness studio, offers a different viewpoint.
Discussing gym and health culture in Scotland, Bird suggests how attitudes towards drinking may actually be changing among a younger populous. He claims: “We have a lot of customers that are sober curious or have been sober and have swapped alcohol for [the gym].”
Next Steps for Scotland
Certainly, it would seem that the cost of living crisis has a big part to play in the health of the population. As people struggle to make ends meet, they may struggle also to adequately care for themselves and their families. However, healthy choices are seemingly also a factor to consider in terms of dropping life expectancy rates. With inflation on the rise, could it be that younger generations will start to take notice of these declining life expectancy rates, and begin making proactive decisions to live as healthy a life as possible?
UWS Newsroom 