Local men die 4 years earlier than women

The research has shown that smoking is by far the biggest culprit, accounting for 40-60% of the gap prompting one charity to step up its campaign to clamp down on smoking locally.

Published in the British Medical Journal’s Tobacco Control series, the research looked at mortality rates for men and women and focused on the difference between death rates for men and women, and on how much of this difference can be put down to deaths which were smoking and alcohol-related. 

 

Alcohol-related deaths accounted for 10%-20% of the gap.

 

The authors concluded that “Smoking continues to be the most important cause of gender differences in mortality”.

 

Chris Mulholland, Head of British Lung Foundation (BLF) Wales, said: “This new research shows that men dying earlier is not simply a fact of life. To a large extent it’s a consequence of smoking.      

 

“It underlines why we in Wales have to keep up our good work to bring down smoking rates and support people who want to quit. It’s the best way to ensure we can close the gender gap and improve life expectancy for all our people.”

 

BLF Wales wants to see a ban on smoking in cars carrying children claiming that the medical evidence that this damages children’s health is overwhelming.

 

Life expectancy in Wales is 81.4 years for women and 77 years for men. The shortest life expectancy for men is in Merthyr Tydfil (74.9) and for women in Blaenau Gwent (75.8). Ceredigion has the longest life expectancy for men (80.7) and women (84.2). The gap between men and women is biggest in Anglesey (5.7) and smallest in Powys (3.4). In Wales, 24% of adults smoke with the highest in Merthyr Tydfil (31%) and the lowest in Powys (18%).