Deaths of women from diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and diseases of the digestive system are above the European average in both the U.K. and Denmark. This is according to a report titled The European health report 2015: Targets and beyond – reaching new frontiers in evidence. The report has been produced by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Information extracted by The Guardian indicates women in the U.K. have the second worst life expectancy among 15 European countries. This is as measured by death rates from cancer and diabetes — life expectancy for British women born in 2011 is “expected” to be 82.7 years, only slightly larger than that of Denmark. The life expectancy of UK men is at the European average.
The findings prompted Caroline Abrahams, representing the charity Age U.K., to comment to the Evening Standard (a London evening newspaper): “It is deeply concerning that the UK is lagging behind almost all of the most developed nations in Europe in terms of average life expectancy for women.”
However, the U.K. National Health Service (NHS) says The Guardian’s interpretation is incorrect. The NHS states that The Guardian figures have focused on the European Union only, whereas the WHO report looks at other countries tat fall within Europe, such as the Balkan states and parts of Russia. With these factored in, the U.K. figures are not so bad.
Statistics can be viewed in many ways. The best thing is probably to read the report.
Other findings from the WHO report, including obesity rates, have been reviewed by Digital Journal.
