By Tiange Cao

Life expectancy for people in Scotland has been falling steadily for three years and is now close to where it was a decade ago. The latest survey now finds that life expectancy in Scotland is among the lowest in the UK, with an average life expectancy of 76.6 years for men and 80.8 years for women.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon. The prevalence of new coronaviruses and the economic pressures they place on society have been identified by experts as the main causes.

The pandemic has proved to have a serious impact on people’s health. Various types of underlying diseases and attacks on the human immune system caused by Covid -19 have been the source of serious illnesses. At the same time, the stress in people’s lives and work during the pandemic affected their mental health.

One staff member, Alison, who works in community pharmacy, referred to her experience of working during the pandemic, mentioning that “the need for new coronavirus speciality drugs and psychotropic medication is increasing by the day, which is definitely affecting people’s health and life expectancy.”

Meanwhile, in response to the gender differences in the projected life expectancy of people in Scotland, Prof Gerry McCartney said that while there is no absolute cause, unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, drinking and substance abuse in different groups, as well as declining physical fitness due to age differences, contribute to some extent to the differences.

In response to the reduction in life expectancy in Scotland, the Scottish Government now needs to do something to help people through the crisis. It needs to address the impact of the pandemic on the NHS as soon as possible, improve the pay of healthcare staff and reduce the pressure on the healthcare system as the demand for healthcare rises. It also needs to continue to protect people in deprived areas in the face of the cost of living crisis, so that the gap in life expectancy does not widen as a result of disparities between rich and poor people in different areas.

In addition to this, people in Scotland themselves can maintain their physical and mental health and extend their life expectancy in their daily lives through fitness, travelling and active psychotherapy.

Life expectancy in Scotland continues to fall, but society and government will continue to respond positively to the crisis to ensure people live healthy lives.