Map of the week: Long term illness
My map of the week reflects on the quality of life of the elderly - and a stark picture emerges.
The map focuses on people aged between 60 and 74 who were asked whether they had "a limiting long-term illness (LLTI), health problem or disability which limits your daily activities or the work you can do, including problems that are due to old age".
The north-south divide is obvious with the poorest health in the once-booming industrial areas of South Wales, north west and north east England and the west of Scotland. I also note a C shape of relatively healthy elderly in the affluent region to the west of London. Apologies to Northern Ireland, for whom we don't have data.
In the light blue hexagons, places like Henley, Sevenoaks and Guildford rural, those aged between 60 and 74 have something like a three in four chance of not suffering from a condition that limits their daily activies. But in the dark red places like Glasgow Parkhead and the valleys of Rhondda, Rhymney and Merthyr Tydfil the chance is down to one in three.
In most places, rates of LLTI are higher for men than women. There are a few exceptions, mostly in more affluent neighbourhoods.
I am tempted to suggest that the map is a legacy of lifestyle and income distribution since the war. But should we feel angry about this inequality?
I'm 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~55~RS~)
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Or it could just be a map of who smokes where, as I would assume that smoking-related diseases make up a certain proportion of 'LLTI'.
I can't help but think you're pointing out the obvious here.
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Nice to see a journalist happy to use that old cliche, norf and saff devide.
As also mentioned its the affluent areas that offer the best chances in life.
I live in Margate Kent in one of the most deprived parts on the UK, you would never know this unless you lived here, similarly I frequently work in East London and wouldn't give much chance for a long and healthy life there either.
Do I feel angry no, only at the cliche, should the government do more, not really since Scotland seems to be one of the worst areas, although they are the biggest receivers of tax payers money, maybe they should get less money for fags, Iru bru and deep fried Mars bars?
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I also had the same idea,
also where there are a lack of jobs, there are lots of back complaints. better to be on incapacity than job seekers!!!
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Mark,
Notice that North Wales and Teesside are also high - this suggests that industrial diseases may also contribute - especially since as you note LLTI is higher for men except in affluent suburban areas.
If smoking does contribute it's probably a second-order variable to industrial disease as I suspect this chart does not map exactly on smoking (or diet for that matter) - do you have the data to do that comparison?
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When is the data from?
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Thirty years ago I worked in The Valleys of South Wales: beautiful people, dramatic scenery and chronic illness amongst the workforce. I still view that poor health as an inheritance of generations working in heavy industry and living in its pollution.
However, the doctors would sign anyone off work at the drop of a hat. Many of the older employees, once classified as sick, seemed happy to just go home, sit in a chair and wait to die. Often exercise and work would have created an interest that could extend their lives but, being decent deferential people, they felt the doctors made the rules and the rules had to be obeyed.
How much of this problem is created by the medical profession who seem devoted to prescribing pills and encouraging patients to succumb to their illness?
My suggestion to anyone is to keep a long distance between yourself and the doctors. Their attitude is that unless you do as they say you will die: we are all going to die anyway so why worry? Life is about quality not quantity.
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Mark, I was wondering if you ever actually left the house or office at all, or if you just sat at a desk looking at statistics about the real world all day?
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why do you persisit in calling me elderly? Turning 60 does not automatically qualify me for that label which I find offensive and unnecssary
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Having lived for a number of years in the North and now currently residing in the South I've noticed a huge difference in life style. I enjoyed my years in the North but in certain areas you could tell when it was lunch or tea time because of the queues outside the chip shop or gregs/bakery. The attitude to food is entirely different, people don't seem to care what they eat. Even going for a weekly food shop is a different experience, in a well know food shop that is nationwide, the amount of fresh fruit and mean isn't as much as that in the South. They know their demographic and cater to it, continuing on the problem. At the end of the day it's down to personal choice, but if the choice isn't there you're out of options.
Living in the South has done me the world of good! I'm well within my healthy weight range for my height (I'd put on weight up north). There are lots more activities available in the South, there is much more "get up and go" down here. I live in Brighton so it may be an exception and it's so different to the Liverpool area. My mental health was affected living in the North.
I think these factors are likely to contribute to long term illnesses. It makes sense, if you don't look after your body it won't look after you. Don't get me wrong I'm not a health nut, I do enjoy my snackage and chocolate, but I just know when to stop eating rubbish food now and given the option of lovely juicey fruit, I know I'll choose fruit.
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ForgottenMajority should perhaps take a look at one of Mark's earlier postings before repeating the hoary old adage about Scotland receiving more public funds than everybody else. The URL is [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator].
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" Nice to see a journalist happy to use that old cliche, norf and saff devide. "
Except the map doesn't completely show that, the map shows local 'hot spots', which while occuring disproportionately more often in the north are not unknown in the south.
What are the geographic units upon which the stylised map is based? Rather crude ones given the number of hexagons.
What variations are being hidden within each of these geographic units? Nice to see some geographic analysis but even nicer if it were to be done with proper attention to detail.
PS Limiting Long Term Illness is presumably from the 2001 census ?
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It would be interesting to compare this map to one showing retirement income.
Clearly there are several factors which affect mobility in the elderly and I would expect them to correlate quite strongly with retirement income:
* Quality of housing
* Employment
* Availability of transport
* Poor diet
Just my Monday thoughts...
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Does this LLTI include things like arthritis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia as well? These are not necessarily directly related to occupation or location.
A number of conditions have a genetic element, which may help to account for some concentrations.
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I think we should be angry about this. I not sure the pockets of high percentages of long term illness in the 60+ age groups are due only to lifestyle. I suspect, as you suggest, the closure of many industries and businesses in those areas have contributed to poorer health in certain areas. Where people are employed and earning they are on the whole happier and healthier. The knock-on effect of many industrial closures in those areas has resulted in a poorer and less healthy life-style and diet for many of those affected. It would not just be the loss of employment, but would include pension expectations too. Many of those who became unemployed in the 70s and 80s would be in the age group surveyed. The loss of a major industry in an area results in serious social upheaval and more should have been done at the time to soften the blow by making the closures gradual, avoid closures altogether or replacing the lost jobs with newopportunities. Although the damage has now been done, I think we can all learn from these mistakes.
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mark,
you highlight a failure of social and economic policy.
you highlight what occurs when the bottom subsidises the top.
it must "now" be time to make a better world for ALL!
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