The Thin End

There seems to be a worrying trend in the incidence of colorectal cancer in young people.  A population-based analysis from England indicates that the incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing rapidly in young adults. The findings, which are published in BJS (British Journal of Surgery), suggest that colorectal cancer should no longer be considered a disease of older people. For the analysis, investigators examined information on adults who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in England between 1974 and 2015. Of the 1,145,639 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed between 1974 and 2015 in adults aged over 20 years, there were 2,594 in 20–29 year olds, 11,406 among 30–39 year olds and 42,134 in 40–49 year olds. The most sustained increase in incidence rates was seen in adults aged 20–29 years. The magnitude of increases was similar in both sexes and across income levels. The most pronounced increases in incidence occurred in the southern regions of England. Anothe...

Women’s educational attainment has increased tremendously and even exceeded men’s all over the world in the late 20th century.  Now, a new review published in   Contemporary Economic Policy  concludes that China’s One-Child Policy had a beneficial effect on women’s education and explains about half of the increase in educational attainment for women born between 1960–1980.  The One-Child Policy was formally conceived in 1979 and rapidly established across the country in 1980. It has been the most restrictive policy adopted across the globe, with enforcement through monetary penalties on above‐quota birth, denial of public service, required abortion of subsequent pregnancy, and even sterilisation.  It also encouraged delay in having a child.  In China, the One-Child Policy was the biggest social movement that fundamentally changed the lives and family structure of the entire generation born in the 1960s. Analyses in the review indicate that...

I am reminded of a discussion I had recently about future welfare costs and why something had to be done now to 'prevent it spiralling out of control'. One lady in the group repeated something we regularly hear from politicians of all parties. "We are all living longer!" She said. As if this itself was a problem. We were in the middle of a discussion about pensions and raising the age of retirement. "No, we are not!" I replied. "Yes, we are, on average!" She persisted. Oh dear, I thought, here is that 'average person' again. "Yes, but I don't live 'on average'" I responded. I've yet to recognise an 'average person' at, say, a bus stop or waiting for a train. I have no idea whether I have sat next to one, ever, in a plane. There is something absurd about the general panic that seems to be settling in. The fear that the welfare budget is about to be overwhelmed by pensioners. The working population is...