Scotland worst in UK for early death

MORE men and women die before retirement age in Scotland than in any other part of the UK, a new study has found.

The premature death rate – where people die before 65 – is 50 per cent higher north of the Border than in the east and south-east of England, where it is lowest, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report said.

Experts warn the high numbers of early deaths are driven by violence, drug and alcohol problems, and unhealthy lifestyles, particularly in deprived areas.

The number of men dying before 65 fell from 304 per 100,000 in 2008, to 281 in 2009, while premature deaths among women were also down from 177 to 174.

However, the Scottish Government admitted that the rate of improvement was too slow.

The report also warned the UK government was failing to tackle poverty and warned cuts to social security could see inequalities rise rather than fall in future.

Professor Robert Wright, an expert in population and demographics studies at Strathclyde University, said Scotland had specific problems which were proving difficult to solve.

“You have lower life expectancy in Scotland than the UK as a whole,” he said. “It is more like Poland or Latvia.

“One reason is the likelihood of mortality is much higher among young men than anywhere else.

“This problem is tough to fix. It’s rooted in children before they start school, so these figures are not a surprise, but they are an embarrassment.

“The population is less healthy as a whole, but among young people you also have accidents, violence, drugs, suicide – these tend to be much more prevalent than in other countries.”

Figures released this week show deaths from heart disease and strokes have fallen significantly in the past 15 years.

The annual heart disease statistics revealed the mortality rate for under-75s had fallen from 124.6 to 49 per 100,000 between 1995 and 2010.

However, experts said there were still entrenched problems, particularly in deprived areas.

Andy Carver, prevention and cure adviser for the British Heart Foundation Scotland, said: “We are improving but there are still big gaps between many parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK.

“If you look at local authority areas such as Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire and Inverclyde, they all have rates well above England and Wales, and many other areas across Scotland.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman added: “Health in Scotland is improving but not quickly enough and unacceptable inequalities continue to blight the lives of our most deprived communities.

“Nobody should be condemned to a life of ill-health because of where they live or their family’s background.”

The Rowntree report also found that Scotland has the second lowest rate of poverty, after housing costs are taken into account, with only the south-east of England faring better.

And almost 8 per cent of Scottish families are behind with their bills, second only to London, the north-west and north-east of England.

The report also warned that the coalition government does not have a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy.

Report co-author, Dr Peter Kenway added: “While the report shows that poverty got no worse during the recession and its immediate aftermath, the effect of the cuts to social security are still to come.”