Century is the landmark..

 Century is the landmark!

By Daniel O’Sullivan

New evidence has found that one in four children aged 16 and under will live to celebrate their centenarian birthday!

A study undertaken has shown that with the medical advancement of the NHS, less people smoking and improvements in diet and exercise, 3.3 million children can expect to celebrate their 100^th birthday, with 1 in 6 people alive in Britain now, expected to be 11 million, will also be alive to celebrate their centenarian birthday.

These statistics was revealed in Mid April as evidence for increasing the retirement age and reforming pensions. This article has hit newsstands the day after the statistics were revealed, but how does this contrast with Obesity, smoking intake and alcohol intake in the UK and has the evidence provided taken this into account?

One of the main talking points over the last couple of years has been Obesity in the UK. A study revealed in 2011 that more people in Britain are dying from being overweight then anywhere in Europe, with 1 in 11 people dying due to carrying excess fat, 50% more than France!

It is estimated that over half of Britons are overweight, if not Obese, with 17% been male and 21% been female. The difference between been overweight and been obese lies in a person’s body mass index (BMI), which is calculated from a person’s height and weight. An adult with a BMI of more than 25 is classed as overweight and one with a BMI of over 30 is classed as obese.

Britain is not only known for been the ‘Fat Capital’ of Europe, but also for Binge drinking, which according to experts, is getting out of control and some have blamed it on Alcohol advertisements.

Sir Ian Gilmore, professor of Hepatology said that drastic action is needed because “alcohol is pervasive”

“It has become impossible to have a celebration in this country without drinking. Alcohol has never been more available or cheaper. We need a complete ban on alcohol advertising”.

Over £800 million is spent a year on advertisements and sponsorships for beer. Football, possibly the countries post-popular sport, have one of the main cup competitions named after a beer, the Carling cup, and big clubs such as Liverpool and Everton are sponsored by beer, with Liverpool having the brand Carlsberg written across their shirt. In Rugby, there is the famous competition The Heineken Cup and in tennis the tournament at Queens club is sponsored by Stella Artois.

Gilmore continued, “It sounds out the wrong message, I am looking at the consequences of the culture that we have got”

Current rules state that an advert for Alcohol cannot imply drinking will help with their sexual attractiveness, popularity or the success of a social situation. Professor Gilmore has said that Britain should take a leaf out of France’s book and ban advertisement for Alcohol all together. Since France has done this, they have seen a drastic fall in drinking levels.

‘Alcohol Concerns charity’ has backed up Gilmore’s concern that alcohol is a major danger in today’s society and says something desperately has got to be done. Like Gilmore, Campaigns officer for Alcohol Concerns Frank Soodeen says that the Government should put taxes up on Alcohol to stop as many people buying; especially children, and also any advertisement should be done post-watershed so that children do not have to watch them!

Statistically, drinking is a major hazard in Britain, with an estimated 9000 people dying directly from alcohol consumption every year, with that figure only increasing.

Obesity and Alcohol are major health concerns in today’s society, with one of the only positive things to say is how less people now are smoking over the past 50 years.

Smoking can lead straight to major health concerns such as lung cancer or heart disease, however with the Government rules that have come into play over the last 10 years, more and more people over the age of 18 are quitting.

In the last couple of years, it is estimated that around 39% of adults smoke, which does seem like a lot. However this has been compared back to the 50’s where almost 90% of people smoked some sort of tobacco. 

The bad thing is, however, more and more children in today’s society are smoking, despite the Governments attempt to stop this.

The Government has introduced rules such as no smoking in public areas and people only over 18 can purchase cigarettes. There are also disturbing images like lung cancer on the packs of cigarettes and soon, packs will not be allowed to be on show in shops, instead they will have to be hidden under the counter.

This comes after evidence that 15% of 15 year olds and under smoke regularly, despite it been illegal to sell tobacco to under 18’s. 21% of boys and 19% of girls, at the age of 15, have been found to have some levels of active smoking.

Compared with the obesity and alcohol intake in Britain, not many people diet and exercise, however more and more people are now doing it. In a questionnaire done in 2010, a quarter of people who responded regularly do exercise, however if compared to the amount of obese and overweight people in Britain, which add up to 46%, this is nothing.

Clearly the articles in newspapers on how 1 in 4 children under 16 will live to be 100 have not considered the consequences of Obesity, smoking and binge drinking in the country and how out of hand it is, and how much worse it is going to get if something isn’t done.

The government done something about smoking, and smoking went down drastically over the last decade and now something has to be done about obesity and alcohol intake too. There has been a start with school dinners offering a healthier range, but this is clearly not enough.

Advertisement is a major factor in both of these, with fast food restaurants like McDonald's and KFC been advertised everyday. These have got to be cut, if not dropped completely, the same with Alcohol adverts and maybe then the country will start to see the affects of a healthier lifestyle!