More Scots than ever living beyond the age of 100

THEY were toddlers when the Titanic sank and lived through two world wars. Now the number of centenarians in Scotland has risen by almost a third to a new high in the past seven years.

• Ronald Brownlee, 101: 'Reading The Scotsman keeps me alert'

Figures released yesterday by the General Register Office for Scotland reveal the number of people in Scotland living to beyond their 100th birthday has reached record levels. Last year there were an estimated 750 people aged over 100, compared with 570 in 2002.

The majority of those living for a century or more are women, who last year accounted for 85 per cent of centenarians.

Experts said improvements in hygiene, sanitation, medical treatment, housing and living standards in general had increased survival rates for older people.

The secrets of centenarians' success is of growing interest, following recent government research which estimated that people in their thirties had a one-in-eight chance of living to be 100, while thousands could live to be 110 or more.

• Tips to help you keep living to 100

Dr Phil Lyon, a sociologist from Dundee who lectures at the University of Umea in Sweden, said today's younger generation should not just assume they will reach a ripe old age, but should start thinking of the quality of their life in later years.

"Life has never been safer," said Dr Lyon. "We're living in an age where we may joke about health and safety regulations, but a lot of things which would have previously killed people off in their forties and fifties, such as asbestos in factories, before we even mention warfare, have been eradicated. However, many people in their thirties and forties are smoking, taking very little exercise and have obesity problems, which could have health repercussions for them in later life.

"One of the dangers we have now is that, while we are extending life, we are not necessarily focus sing on the quality of life. Quality of life in later years is now the main issue for us."

Duncan Macniven, Registrar General for Scotland, said: "Our projections of future population assume that the increases of life expectancy we've seen over the last 20-30 years will continue. There is no reason to think that it will suddenly stop because of drink, drugs or obesity.But this increase in life expectancy hasn't been entirely accompanied by a healthy life expectancy."

In 2009, women accounted for 640 of Scotland's centenarians, while only around 100 men had reached the milestone.

A hundred years ago, Scottish centenarians were extremely rare.

But by the start of the 21st century, there were estimated to be more than 500 people in Scotland who were 100 years old or more - and the number has been rising steadily ever since.

Yet while the number of centenarians is increasing, there has been a drop in the number of people aged 90-99 over the past three years from 31,170 in 2007 to 30,810 in 2009. This was because fewer babies were born during the First World War.

CASE STUDIES:

• Dr Eddie Kemp, aged 100 from Edinburgh, is a former curator of the Royal Botanic Garden. He said: "I led a very active life and enjoyed activities such as hillwalking long before it was considered fashionable. I eat well and always have porridge for breakfast. I used to have the odd glass of malt, but now I've switched to beer. I used to be a voracious reader, but now with bad eyesight the radio is my lifeblood."

• Ronald Brownlee, from Edinburghis a former police officer who served as second honorary president of Craigmillar Park Golf Club. He joked he had lived to reach 101 by "doing as little as possible".

"If I had to say what's kept me going, I'd say it's getting on with people, but having time to myself, keeping my mind alert by reading the sports pages in The Scotsman. I was a keen golfer and followed it, as well as soccer and tennis.

"I eat a lot of vegetables, not much meat unless it's good, and I have the occasional shandy.

"I started and gave up smoking when I was a schoolboy."