The United Kingdom Suffers as a Result of Poor National Health

The UK's National Security Risk Assessment output classes the state of the UK public health as a Tier 1 national risk, the most potent of the three categories₁. It's a well-known and high-profile issue; half of all science stories in the UK media are medical₂ although many of the claims made are dubious₂.The UK does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. The UK comes in the best 20 in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃. It does better than average when it comes to its average life expectancy₄, its suicide rate₅, its adolescent birth rate₆ (but bad for Europe), its fertility rate₇ and in its immunizations take-up₈. The UK still has work to do. The UK does worse than average when it comes to its smoking rate₉ (yet still one of the best in Europe) and in its alcohol consumption rate₁₀. The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years.

1. UK's Health
2. Health
   1. Life Expectancy
   2. Alcohol Consumption
   3. Fertility Rate
   4. Smoking Rates
   5. Suicide Rate
   6. Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance
   7. Overweight Adults
3. Children's Health
   1. Adolescent Birth Rate
   2. Infant Immunizations 2011-2015
4. Links

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1. UK's Health

#health

Compared to Europe (2020)11
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank11
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Liechtenstein	50.0
3	Norway	66.3
	...
14	Netherlands	82.1
15	Luxembourg	83.0
16=	Ireland	83.6
16=	UK	83.6
18	Portugal	84.3
19	Spain	84.4
20	Germany	84.5
21	Greece	86.0
22	Austria	86.8
	Europe Avg	87.7
q=47.

Health (2020)11
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank11
1	Monaco	13.0
2	Maldives	41.7
3	Sri Lanka	43.1
	...
49	Luxembourg	83.0
50	Brazil	83.5
51=	Ireland	83.6
51=	UK	83.6
53	Australia	84.1
54=	Guyana	84.3
54=	Portugal	84.3
56	Spain	84.4
	World Avg	95.1
q=198.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, The Maldives and Sri Lanka₁₂. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, The Marshall Islands and Nigeria₁₂.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean₁₂, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₁₂.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

2. Health

2.1. Life Expectancy

#demographics #health #hong_kong #immigration #japan #life_expectancy #longevity #population

Life Expectancy Higher is better4
Pos.		2021 Years4
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
26	Cyprus	81.2
27	Portugal	81.0
28	San Marino	80.9
29	UK	80.7
30	Slovenia	80.7
31	Germany	80.6
32	Andorra	80.4
33	Greece	80.1
	Europe Avg	78.36
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

The UK ranks 29th in the world with regard to its average life expectancy.

Increasing longevity, and subsequent aging, is a long-term trend around the world₁₃. Global life expectancy has risen above the 70s, reaching 72, by 2016₁₄, as part of a global trend towards better health_14,15, and due to huge portions of the world being gradually lifted out of poverty. It also reflects overall improvements to cultural health, including diet, health services systems, attitudes to exercise and well-being, and also family structure and caring. For decades, Japan was well-known for having the highest average life expectancy₁₆, until the top spot was taken by Hong Kong. The regions with the best life expectancy are Europe (78.4), The Middle East (75.2) and Asia (73.2)₄ and the worst, by some way, is Africa (62.8)₄.

One effect of rising longevity is the 'demographics crisis'; where an increasing portion of the population is old and retired, putting pressure on services and taxes₁₇. The solution is for aging countries to import younger workers from elsewhere; over time, as birth rates stabilize, geriatric care improves the length of the working life, and population growth calms, this situation will stabilize.

For more, see:

• "Life Expectancy and Longevity" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Life expectancy in the UK improved by +6yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs.

2.2. Alcohol Consumption

#alcohol #health #sociology

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better10
Pos.		2016 Per Capita10
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
164=	Andorra	11.3
164=	Equatorial Guinea	11.3
166	Hungary	11.4
167=	UK	11.5
167=	Gabon	11.5
167=	Slovakia	11.5
167=	Switzerland	11.5
171	Austria	11.6
	Europe Avg	10.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

The UK ranks 168th in the world in terms of its alcohol consumption rate.

There is nothing wrong with drinking modest and sensible amounts of alcohol but fitness, physical health, mental health and long-term health all suffer as a result of medium- or heavy- drinking₁₈ and the health risks to the baby when pregnant mothers drink₁₉ are well-known. Aside from the effects on the individual, alcohol misuse impacts on entire economies₂₀ via increased health service costs, policing costs and lost days' work. Worldwide, alcohol misuse is "among the top five risk factors for disease, disability and death" and is a "cause of more than 200 disease and injury conditions in individuals, most notably alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers and injuries"₂₁. "In 2012... 5.9% of all global deaths, were attributable to alcohol consumption"₂₂. Deaths from chronic alcohol misuse have been rising for decades, and so has violence, abuse, vandalism and crime all associated with alcohol over-use. The aggression and crime associated with alcohol in some Western countries infringes on the human rights of those who want nothing to do with such behaviour. Many of the social effects of alcohol are psychological and cultural; i.e., people don't have to behave criminally or destructively whilst drunk - it is a culturally learned behaviour. Experiments have shown that behaviour can be controlled: Those who do not wish to behave badly whilst drunk, will not do so.

For more, see:

• "Alcohol: The Social & Medical Effects and How to Combat Misuse" by Vexen Crabtree (2015).

The UK has seen a 50-year growth in alcohol consumption and it has become a public-health crisis₂₃. In 2007-8 it directly cost the NHS £3 billion₂₃, and overall the national cost is up to £55 billion a year_23,24. Across 2007-8, the UK had up to 40,000 alcohol-related deaths, including 350 from acute alcohol poisoning and 8,000 from cirrhosis of the liver₂₃. Consumption has doubled since the late 1950s, whilst in other developed countries such as France and Italy, it has more than halved₂₅; liver disease rates are falling in the EU, but the UK's rises₂₆. The price of alcohol is half what it was in the 1970s₂₅. Between 1995 and 2001, binge drinking increased by 35% in the UK₂₅ . The increase in drinking "is reflected in rising death rates from chronic liver disease, the primary cause of which is too much drink", and the UK has some of Europe's worst rates of childhood drunkenness and several thousands of babies are born each year with foetal alcohol syndrome₂₃, which has lifelong effects.

2.3. Fertility Rate

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #overpopulation #population #yemen

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best7
Pos.		20227
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
72	St Martin	2.39
73	Isle of Man	1.57
74=	Slovakia	1.57
74=	UK	1.57
76	Paraguay	2.44
77	Laos	2.45
78=	Denmark	1.55
78=	Slovenia	1.55
	Europe Avg	1.53
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

The UK ranks 74th in the world regarding its fertility rate.

The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₂₇

For more, see:

• "The Population of the Earth" by Vexen Crabtree (2019).

The UK's peak fertility rate was 2.93 in 1964.

2.4. Smoking Rates

#cancer #democracy #health #smoking

Smoking is the UK's biggest cause of preventable death and 100,000 people die from related diseases every year₂₈. The health of the nation affects everyone in the long-run₂₉ - although in 2016/17 tax on cigarettes earned the government £7.6 billion₃₀, in 2010 statistics showed the total cost to the economy of smoking (including NHS costs) was £13.7 billion₃₁. 474,000 hospital admissions every year in England are directly due to smoking₃₀.

But things are moving in the right direction. Since the 1970s, the government has enacted a stream of laws to improve public health: strong restrictions on advertising cigarettes, enforced health warnings on packs, increased costs, banned sports sponsorships and banned smoking in public enclosed spaces._30,32,33. Each of those measures was fought through long legal and PR campaigns by the tobacco industry_32,33. But it is working, and smoking rates in Great Britain have declined from 50% in 1974 to 16% in 2016, and the spectre of childhood smoking has declined to 3%._30,34

Smoking Rates Lower is better9
Pos.		20149
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
107	UAE	715
108	Namibia	740
109	Papua New Guinea	826
110	UK	827
111	Sweden	831
112	Laos	836
113	Iran	869
114	Thailand	895
	Europe Avg	1 648
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Yet still amongst the best in Europe in terms of its smoking rate, the UK is positioned 110th in the world.

Cigarettes are the most lethal consumer product on the planet and is the biggest preventable course of disease in the world₃₂. A billion people smoke₃₅. The fight for public health means limiting and reducing the business of the tobacco industry and as the governments of most developed countries make headway, the tobacco industry has resisted with misinformation, public-relations campaigns and fake customer-concern lobby groups, trying to make the government think that the citizens do not support its actions. With £30 billion pounds (UKP) profit per year₃₂, the industry runs such massive and influential lobbies that most governments find it difficult to make any progress in curbing rates of smoking.

If you smoke, you are more likely to drink. If you smoke or drink, you are also more likely to do drugs. Smoking is statistically intertwined deeply with trash culture. Only 15% of men in the highest professional classes smoke, but 42% of unskilled workers do₃₆. Smoking is higher amongst those who are already in trouble: single mothers smoke at 55%, most homeless do and practically 100% of drug addicts do₃₆. Smoking during late pregnancy reduces the IQ of babies by an average of 6.2 points₃₇ and causes increased antisocial behaviour. Aside from the financial cost to taxpayers and the health costs to individuals, indirect negative economic effects result from increased rates of disease and sick days lost from work.

For more, see:

• "The Side Effects of Smoking. Which Countries Smoke Most?" by Vexen Crabtree (2014).

2.5. Suicide Rate

#belgium #finland #health #japan #mental_health #suicide #switzerland

Suicide Rate5
Pos.		2013 Per 100k5
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
36	Italy	12.8
37	Macedonia	13.5
38	Mauritius	13.7
39	UK	13.9
40	Ecuador	14.1
41	Spain	15.3
42	Argentina	15.6
43	Thailand	15.8
	Europe Avg	26.99
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

The UK is positioned 40th in the world in terms of its suicide rate.

Suicide as a human behaviour is recorded in the texts of the most ancient civilisations. But reliable statistics on it are hard to collect. The World Health Organisation publishes the statistics used by the United Nations, which is duplicated in the long table on the right.

Almost universally, successful male suicide rates are much higher than female rates. However, female suicide attempts are more frequent than male attempts.

Countries with high suicide rates are a mixture between those riddled with organized criminal gangs, under-developed countries, and, highly developed countries. There are cultural and situational effects at work that persist in the long-term: nothing seems to lower the high suicide rates in Japan, Belgium and Finland. And some of the countries with the lowest rates are not particularly well developed socially. It seems there is no correlation between suicide rates and things like development, prosperity and national engagement in human rights.

Switzerland comes in as the country with the 17th highest suicide rate despite its liberal stance, with 36.2 suicides per 100,000 people.

For more, see:

• "Accepting Assisted Suicide: A Focus on UK Law" by Vexen Crabtree (2012).

2.6. Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better3
Pos.		2017 Rank3
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
4	UK	4
5	Norway	5
6	Switzerland	6
7	Germany	7
8	Canada	8
9	Netherlands	9
10	USA	10
11	Luxembourg	11
12	Finland	12
	Europe Avg	47.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

The UK ranks 4th-best in the world regarding its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance.

2.7. Overweight Adults

#genetics #health #obesity #physical_fitness #public_health #UK

Compared to Europe (2016)38
Pos.		Lower is better %38
1=	Moldova	51.8
2	Bosnia & Herzegovina	53.3
3=	Azerbaijan	53.6
4	Georgia	54.2
5=	Switzerland	54.3
5=	Austria	54.3
7	Armenia	54.4
8	Denmark	55.4
9=	Estonia	55.8
10	Slovenia	56.1
11	Slovakia	56.2
12	Sweden	56.4
13	Germany	56.8
14=	Serbia	57.1
15	Portugal	57.5
16	Albania	57.7
17=	Romania	57.7
18	Netherlands	57.8
19=	Latvia	57.8
20	Finland	57.9
21	Macedonia	58.1
22=	Poland	58.3
22=	Norway	58.3
24	Ukraine	58.4
25=	Italy	58.5
26	Luxembourg	58.7
27=	Cyprus	59.1
27=	Iceland	59.1
29	Montenegro	59.4
30=	Belarus	59.4
31	France	59.5
32=	Belgium	59.5
33	Croatia	59.6
34=	Lithuania	59.6
35	Ireland	60.6
36=	Spain	61.6
36=	Hungary	61.6
38	Bulgaria	61.7
39=	Greece	62.3
39=	Czechia	62.3
41	UK	63.7
42=	Andorra	63.7
43	Malta	66.4
44=	Turkey	66.8
	Europe Avg	58.5
	World Avg	49.0
q=44.

Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₄₀. It has widespread knock-on effects for the rest of the UK, resulting in lost-hours of work, developed disabilities and social care costs. A UK government Commons Health Select Committee report in late 2015 stated that obesity costs the UK economy £27 billion every year₄₁ and the total costs to Britain were widely reported in 2014 to be £47 billion_39,42 - more than war, violence and terrorism combined_39,42. It costs the National Health Service £5.1 billion per year₄₃. Childhood obesity presents the greatest long-term risk (and cost) and parents must do more to instigate sensible eating practices₄₄. In early 2016, the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said that UK rates of childhood obesity constituted a national emergency₄₅.

The issue has been a long-term development; the chart shows rates rising between 1996-2005 in England.

The UK compares poorly to Europe, how about to the rest of the world?

Overweight Adults Lower is better38
Pos.		2016 %38
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
159	Venezuela	63.4
160	Egypt	63.5
161=	Andorra	63.7
161=	UK	63.7
163	Fiji	63.8
164	Canada	64.1
165	Israel	64.3
166	Bahamas	64.4
	Europe Avg	58.5
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Amongst the highest in Europe The UK comes 161st in the world regarding the prevalence of overweight adults.

About one third of the global population is overweight or obese₃₉. Most Western countries are facing an obesity epidemic. Our cultures are having to change to compensate for widespread ill-health. It is costing our health systems a massive amount of money, and is having negative effects on national economies. The situation has persisted for a suitable length of time for our very perceptions to change; opinions on "normal weights" for people and "average sizes" for clothes has shot up₄₀. Over 2 in 3 adults in the UK are overweight₄₀ and this costs the NHS £5.1 billion per year₄₃ and "costs Britain's economy £47bn a year; more than war, terrorism or armed violence"₄₇. We are forgetting how to be healthy.

The causes are not genetic. Most people who say obesity "runs in their family" are wrong. The rate of increase in obesity is many, many times too fast to be accounted for by a change in inherited genes₄₈. Our culture and lifestyle choices are to blame. The causes of the modern obesity epidemic are processed foods, low levels of physical exercise, over-indulgence, poor choices in food products, poor knowledge of nutrition. Most of this is made much worse by well-funded advertising campaigns by food manufacturers selling cheaper mass-produced food. Even some so-called "health foods" contain well over recommended limits of fat, salt and sugar₄₉.

For more, see:

• "The Modern Obesity Epidemic" by Vexen Crabtree (2017).

3. Children's Health

3.1. Adolescent Birth Rate

#health #parenting #population

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better6
Pos.		2015 Per 10006
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
45	Malaysia	13.6
46	Latvia	13.6
47	Australia	14.1
48	UK	14.6
49	Sri Lanka	14.8
50	Micronesia	15.0
51	Tonga	15.2
52	Mongolia	15.7
	Europe Avg	14.6
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

The UK is 48th in the world when it comes to its adolescent birth rate.

3.2. Infant Immunizations 2011-2015

#health #vaccines

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better8
Pos.		2015 Avg %8
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
72	Tuvalu	94.9
73	Eritrea	94.7
74	Singapore	94.6
75	UK	94.6
76	Solomon Islands	94.5
77	Norway	94.3
78	Bolivia	94.2
79=	UAE	94.0
	Europe Avg	92.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

The UK is 75th in the world in terms of its immunizations take-up.