HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS: UK and Brazil variations in life expectancy

Question 1

how has the UK experienced variations in life expectancy?

Answer 1

life expectancy in 1900 was less than 50, now the life expectancy is over 80

increase due to

• medical advances
• changes in the UK’s economy
• improvements in diet
• improvements in housing

differences between life expectancies of different groups is the cumulative outcome of inequalities, such as poverty and deprivation

Question 2

how has the UK experienced variations by country?

Answer 2

variations in life expectancy due to differences in lifestyles and the general level of affluence

more than 15 years difference in healthy life expectancy between men in Richmond upon Thames compared with those in a part of Manchester

Question 3

how has the UK experienced variations by ethnic group?

Answer 3

variations in life expectancy due to inherited genes, lifestyles

Question 4

how has the UK experienced variations by socio-economic group?

Answer 4

variations in life expectancy due to differences in lifestyle, housing quality, attitudes towards health and diet, and occupational groups

Question 5

how has Brazil experienced variations by state?

Answer 5

states at the core of the Brazilian economy have higher life expectancies as a result of the positive multiplier effect of increased employment, higher incomes and adequate housing, e.g. Sao Paulo

life expectancy in small state of Rio de Janeiro is affected by shanty towns in the metropolitan area

physical factors, such as remoteness and lack of development, is reflected in life expectancy of northern states