V interesting, contrary to what @PHE_uk have find in their weekly surveillance report based on cases. @ONS survey finding infections rates rising fastest among least deprived population groups
The ONS survey is representative, which generally means it's trusted as a clearer picture of what's going on nationally that national case data where access to tests is limited.
ONS suggest cases driven by those under 35 y/o, who have large numbers of contacts/social gatherings.
It's not students, but recent travel abroad seems important. Note ONS point about young people working outside home not necessarily being different to young people working elsewhere.
So it's young, less deprived adults having large gatherings.
Why is deprivation data different to PHE data?
In those 17-19yrs, PHE doesn't see socioeconomic gradient, but does find more cases among more deprived population groups in other age gps <40yrs
Likely, in part, to do with provision of limited tests to areas with high case numbers, but would have thought this would also show up in ONS data.
Maybe outbreaks more likely among more deprived population groups (therefore get tests), or due to other targeted testing progs?
Or less deprived people not wanting to get tested, may not think they need to, don't have jobs that rely on face-to-face contact (although that's not showing up in the ONS data by workplace).
Would like to see results by whether cases are part of a known outbreak or not - may be less deprived cases are part of clusters/social gatherings/holidays not known about or followed up, whereas more deprived are part of investigated workplace outbreaks?
Suggests that people in more deprived areas are getting tests, possibly more than in less deprived areas (meaning test positivity may actually be higher in people <35)
Questions remains whether cases in less deprived areas who might not be getting tests have Sx/are isolating?
Bottom line is, I don't know what's going but would love to dig into this discrepancy more.
Any ideas @chrischirp, @NickStripe_ONS others?
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Gov data shows how price promos are more likely to be applied to unhealthy junk food rather than healthier foods.
And rather than saving people ££, they can lead to around 22% *more* purchases than would otherwise happen, with *more* money spent and *more* consumption.
That's why companies use these promotions.
That's also why the policy was in the obesity strategy in the first place. The irony being that it is more likely to help than hinder the impact of the cost of living crisis on individuals and families.
In today's @Telegraph, Sally O'Brien & I discuss @HealthFdn / @IpsosUK polling results on public attitudes to gov policy on alcohol, tobacco, & unhealthy food (no £-wall🔓)
🧵Tl,dr: While gov has a preference for individual responsibility, the public still think gov should act.
Gains in healthy life-expectancy have stalled, childhood obesity continues to rise, alcohol-related hospital admissions are up, and tobacco still causes over 500,000 admissions a year.
And there are huge inequalities with more deprived areas disproportionately impacted.
Yet the recent trend of unwinding public health policy continues.
The tobacco control plan is unpublished, junk food ad bans have been delayed, plans for a national approach to health inequalities have gone & there's been nothing on alcohol since 2012.
First the good news. COVID cases in hospital clearly falling, in all ages, regions (except perhaps still plateauing in Yorkshire and Humber).
There's still a lag on cases in intensive care and on deaths, but they'll drop soon as well.
Flu, however, seems to be on the rise.
Overall case & admission rates are relatively low, but trending up.
And with a higher % of lab respiratory samples (sent in by dr from people with chest symptoms) testing for flu than at the same time in the past 5 yrs. i.e., it's early
This is a really helpful and timely piece of work by @davidfinchthf.
Along with last week's @TheIFS report on how government ££ are spent, it's clear that we need to do more to align public health funding with local needs. 🧵
Over the last decade, gains in life expectancy in England have stalled.
And it will be no surprise that the impact has not been felt evenly by everyone.
While life expectancy continues to increase for people living in the least deprived parts of the country, people from the most deprived communities are dying earlier.
This type of shortsighted policy review has reared its head again.
Health is an *asset* & the types of obesity policies being looked at here are exactly the ones that are both most effective AND most likely to narrow inequalities. 🧵