The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has highlighted ethnic and socio-demographic inequalities in mortality rates for common physical health conditions.
The key findings of the data show:
- Age-standardised mortality rates (ASMRs) were higher among males than females for all-cause mortality and most individual conditions; however, females had higher rates of mortality involving asthma and dementia.
- ASMRs for all-cause mortality and most individual conditions were generally highest in the most deprived areas and among people who were long-term unemployed or had never worked; the largest differences by deprivation were observed for mortality involving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, followed by lung cancer and asthma.
- The ASMR for all-cause mortality was higher for the White British population than for other ethnic groups; the White British group also had higher mortality rates than most ethnic minority groups for several types of cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dementia.
- Out of all ethnic groups, the Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups had the highest ASMRs for many individual conditions including diabetes, chronic kidney disease, ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, stroke, myocardial infarction, asthma, pneumonia, and coronavirus (COVID-19); the Black Caribbean group had the highest ASMRs for blood cancer and prostate cancer.
- There were differences in some of the patterns by ethnicity between males and females; for example, the Bangladeshi group had among the highest ASMRs for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer among males, whereas this was not true for females.
- ASMRs for all-cause mortality and most, though not all, individual conditions were generally higher in the north of England and the Midlands than in the south of England and London.
Responding to the latest data, Veena Raleigh, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, said: "The ONS release provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date national profile of ethnic inequalities in mortality in England. It paints a complex picture, with differences between ethnic minority and the White British groups, between different ethnic minority groups, and across different health conditions.
"Overall mortality is lower in ethnic minority groups compared with the White British group, because they have lower mortality from some major diseases such as cancer and dementia. However, mortality from several largely preventable conditions, for example, some cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, is higher among ethnic minority groups. The data also shows mortality patterns differ by condition and ethnicity. For example, South Asian groups experience higher mortality from heart disease than the White group whereas Black groups don’t, and mortality from diabetes is higher than the White group in both the South Asian and Black groups. Many factors, specific to ethnicity and beyond, contribute to these differences.
"This ONS data also shows, yet again, that mortality is highest in deprived areas and among the unemployed, and there is a north-south gradient with mortality higher in the north of England. Ethnicity alone does not determine a person’s health, so any efforts to improve a community’s health should take account of all the determinants including deprivation and region.
"More and more people in England are living with long-term ill health, while the gap between the healthiest and least healthy continues to widen. Not only does this increase pressures on the NHS, but it is also taking a toll on the economy by increasing the number of people out of work due to sickness. This national decline into worsening health can be reversed by tackling preventable conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and smoking- and obesity-related cancers.
"The data highlights that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving the health of different communities. Ministers, NHS leaders, council leaders and others all need to be fully aware of these nuanced differences and the factors driving them. As political parties gear up for the next election, if they want to curb demand for NHS services while also boosting the economy, they must develop clear plans for preventing ill health that address the specific needs of different communities."
