Saturday, December 09, 2017

The inequality of life-expectancy

Scots born in the wealthiest parts of the country are expected to live up to around a decade longer than those born in the poorest communities, new figures have shown.
Males from the 20% least deprived areas in Scotland have a life expectancy 10.5 years greater than those from the 20% most deprived areas. For females the gap is 7.8 years.
The council areas with the highest life expectancy for females were East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire, where a baby girl could expect to live for 83.5 years.
By contrast, West Dunbartonshire had the lowest life expectancy for females at 78.8 years - a difference of 4.7 years.
For males, life expectancy at birth was highest in Orkney at 80.3 years, and almost seven years lower in Glasgow City at 73.4 years.
Public health spokesman Colin Smyth said: "These figures expose the postcode lottery Scotland faces. The prosperity of the family you were born into has a huge impact on your life chances, quality of life and ultimately life expectancy."

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