death rates/life expectancy

Reason 1 for the decline in death rates - improved nutrition

• improved nutrition guided the decline of death rates

• Better nutrition increased resistance to infection and increased survival chance for those who were infected

Reason2 -medical improvement

• improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisations held reduced deaths

• Advances include antibiotics , improved maternity services, blood transfusions and the set up of the NHS

Reason 3 - smoking and diet

• harps argued that the biggest fall for death rates isn’t because of medical advancements but because of decrease in smoking

• However obesity has replaced smoking making it a new life style epidemic

• Although obesity has increased the deaths from it has been kept low due to drug therapies,.

Impact of rising life expectancy

• more elderly alive

• Families have 3-4 generations

• Beanpole families

• Grandparents active longer