NEWS
NEW RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS OCCUPATIONAL FACTORS CAUSING ILL HEALTH IN
ENGLAND New research published in The Lancet, funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Public Health England, has highlighted the importance of occupational factors in the causes of ill health in England.
The study examined figures from the Global Burden of Disease Study, a research programme based out of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and to analyse the burden of disease and injury in England.
Of particular interest was the analysis of disability-adjusted life- years, known as DALY’s. The study confirmed the key contribution occupational risks make to DALYs for men in England with work-related
ILC-UK CALLS FOR EXTRA CARE HOUSING FOCUS TO
REDUCE LONELINESS A new report from the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK) has found that residential housing with flexible care provision (extra care) can help to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation among older residents.
The report, funded by Audley Retirement and Bupa, surveyed residents of retirement villages on quality of life and used a statistical technique to compare the results with a group living in the community.
The research revealed that village living can promote independence and provide greater choice in planning for
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later life than would otherwise be available. The research shows that the communal environment has the potential to reduce social isolation, particularly for residents who move from rural or remote homes.
The average person in a retirement village experiences half the amount of loneliness (12.17%) than those in the community (22.83%). Nearly two thirds of respondents living in retirement villages (64.2%) could be classified as not at all lonely, and four out of five (81.7%) said they hardly ever or never felt isolated. Over half (54.7%) often felt in tune with those around them, and nearly four in five (79.1%) hardly ever or never felt left out.
People living in this type of accommodation also reported a
factors ahead of both low physical activity and air pollution and other environmental risks. For women, again occupational risk factors caused more DALYs than air pollution and other environmental risks.
For men and women, the top three contributors to disability-adjusted life-years were dietary risks, tobacco smoke and a high body- mass index (BMI).
The researchers concluded that the continuing burden of preventable ill health in England more than justifies recent calls for a “radical upgrade in prevention and public health”.
Commenting on the research, Dr Adrian Hirst, President of BOHS, said: “Studies such as these are vitally important in quantifying the root causes of the burden of ill health borne by the nation. They also offer great impetus to tackle a wide range of diseases which are largely preventable and therefore, as the researchers themselves note in the study, point to ‘a huge opportunity for preventative public health.”
strong sense of control over their daily lives, nearly 10% higher than those living in the community. Control is a crucial component of quality of life measurement. They also felt secure in their homes, with 97% of respondents agreeing that they felt safe where they lived. Both of these findings were assessed using recognised quality of life measures.
Baroness Sally Greengross, chief executive of ILC-UK commented: “New and innovative models for providing social care are crucial to address rising costs for care in an aging society. But we simply aren’t building enough aspirational housing for old age. Government must ensure that planning supports the development and promotion of alternative models of housing with care.”
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