News

The poorest losing fastest

For some time, research has shown that poor health is more marked in the more deprived areas of the country, and The King’s Fund’s new report shows that those living in the lower socio-economic groups are more likely to engage in more unhealthy lifestyle behaviours.

The Department of Health has pledged to “improve the health of the poorest fastest”, yet evidence shows that exactly the opposite is playing out.

As the gap widens between rich and poor, so it does between healthy and unhealthy.

With the four lifestyle factors examined in the report estimated to account for half the disease burden in the developed world, huge potential remains to reduce inequality and improve mortality throughout the country.

In many cases, the unhealthy behaviours go hand in hand; those with a poor diet are also less likely to participate in enough exercise. Therefore the recommendation for public health initiatives to take a wider approach would quite clearly be beneficial.

Before seeking to achieve towering targets such as improving the health of the poorest fastest, maybe the Government could work towards reversing the worrying trend to ensure their health does not decline at such a speed.

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