Health in the United Kingdom

Health in the United Kingdom as measured by life expectancy got better from 1841 until 2018. The number of babies dying has gone down because of better food, clean water and drains and more recently because of improvements in midwifery and hospital care. The number of people living with a disability has been going up. It has become more difficult for people to get medical help, especially for poorer and disadvantaged people.
The Public Health Act 1875 was very important and it was followed by more public health laws.
The biggest health problems now are to do with obesity. Smoking in the UK has been reduced from 45% in 1974 to 16.9% in 2015.
Mental health is a growing problem and has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.