Are we now more informed about how to prolong our lives?
The three big reasons that people in the UK are living increasingly longer lives are:
Food supply and nutrition
Health
Hygiene
These three things have all seen marked improvements in standards since the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, another important factor is our knowledge of their importance to our health and life expectancy, and of the steps we can take to ensure that we lead a healthy lifestyle. Our access to relevant information has also improved dramatically as a result of scientific research and methods of information dissemination, for example the Internet.
For example:
The packaging of food products at increasing numbers of shops and supermarkets displays the nutritional content of food and uses colour coding so that we know whether it is good for us. The importance of eating a balanced diet is widely known
Government and charity websites provide information about the lifestyle choices we can make in order to reduce our risk of developing diseases. The effect that smoking cigarettes can have on our health is widely advertised, and warnings included on packaging. In the UK, a smoking ban in public places has been introduced and the age at which young people can buy cigarettes has been raised to 18 years
Adverts on buses and tubes inform us of the importance of washing our hands and covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze in order to reduce the spread of illnesses and diseases. Health and safety legislation provides strict regulations for hygiene in restaurants, hospitals and factories
But following a healthy lifestyle is still a choice that we make, and not everyone chooses or is able to do so.
Interactive
Living Longer
Downloads
You are what you eat (PPT)
Living longer fact sheet activity PDF | MSWORD
Risk diary (PDF)
Links
UN demographic statistics by country
List of countries by life expectancy
Starter
How much fat?
How much do you know about daily calorie and fat allowances? What about how many calories there are in your favourite meals?
Have a look at the 'You are what you eat' activity to see more information about the amount of fat and number of calories in your favourite foods.
Who tells us how much to eat? Why do they tell us this?