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Men's life expectancy is catching up with women's
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     The historic gap between men and women's life expectancy could vanish as more and more women accustom themselves to the work hard-play hard culture of modern Britain, new figures from the Office of Health Economics show.

    The rise of women in the workplace and the increasing prevalence of heavy drinking among women are leaving more women than ever vulnerable to illnesses traditionally experienced by men, the office's Compendium of Health Statistics says.

    Although traditionally lower, male life expectancy is rising at a faster rate than women's, says the report. A male born in 2002 could expect to live to about 76, while his sister would live until 81, but it is likely that by 2010 life expectancy for both men and women will start to converge at about 81, estimates show.

    Heavy drinking in young women has more than tripled in the past 17 years, and the proportion of young women aged 16-24 drinking more than the recommended weekly limit is now almost the same as men—10% for women in 2002 compared with 12% for men.

    Also, government antismoking drives do not seem to have been as successful in cutting the number of female smokers as in cutting the number of male smokers. Although the proportion of male smokers decreased from 51% in 1974 to 28% in 2002, the rate of decline in women has been slower—from 41% to 26%.

    These lifestyle changes have affected death rates. Deaths from lung cancer in men have halved since 1973; deaths from lung cancer in women have increased by 45%.

    Obesity is one area in which women's health can claim at least to be deteriorating at a slower rate than men's. In 1994, 15% of adult men had a body mass index of more than 30 compared with 18% of women. But, by 2002, this had risen to 21% compared with 22% of women, representing a levelling of the differences between men's and women's lifestyles. "It is a result of affluence," Mr Sussex said, "and a more sedentary way of life."

    But Peter Yuen, a statistician at the Office of Health Economics, said that body mass index was a controversial method for measuring obesity that tended to discriminate against men.

    "It tends to work against taller and more muscular people," he said. "Which means that someone with a physique like rugby player Jonny Wilkinson would be told he was obese, when in fact he is healthy. Waist and hip measurements are a much more effective way of telling if someone is obese."(Madeleine Brettingham)