The figure is far worse than most other countries. By comparison, 12.7 per
cent of French women are overweight, 14.4 per cent of Spaniards and just 9.3
per cent of Italians.
And while across most of Europe, very few 18- to 24-year-olds are obese, in
Britain 16.6 per cent are.
In relative terms, British boys will fare better than their sisters according
to WHO’s European Health Report 2012.
At 78.4 years, male life expectancy is 11th on the list of 53 nations, which
includes such far-flung countries as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and
Azerbaijan.
For both males and females, the quality of healthcare is also known to be
significant though. For example, comparative studies have found British
cancer patients tend to survive less long after diagnosis than those in
Sweden and Norway.
Compared to all 53 countries British boys and girls can expect to live
significantly longer than the averages, which are 72.6 and 79.9 years
respectively.
For the region as a whole, WHO reported that its population of 900 million
people was “ageing rapidlyâ€, with one in four predicted to be over 65 by
2050.
Drinking too much is an increasing cause for concern, found the report, with
6.5 per cent deaths being alcohol related. The proportion of alcohol-related
deaths in the UK is similar to the average.
Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO regional director for Europe, said: “The European
Region is undergoing important changes that are shaping health priorities,
and the needs for disease prevention and care in the future.
“The trends identified in this report help us to anticipate some of the
challenges that Europe is facing and will face in the future.
“But there are persistent and widespread inequities in health across the
Region, which in some cases are worsening. These are unnecessary and unjust
and must be a priority for us to address collectively.â€
Across the region, heart disease and strokes account for nearly half of all
deaths, while cancer causes about one in five. The situation is different in
the UK, where heart disease and cancer causes roughly the same number of
deaths.
