Unhealthy habits put Brit teens 'at increased premature death risk'

London, Apr 30 (ANI): Increasing binge drinking and smoking habits are putting British teenage girls at increased risk of premature death, a worldwide study has claimed.

The study claimed that British teenage girls are more likely to die early than those in Slovenia and Albania.

To reach the conclusion, boffins calculated the probability of 15-year-old girls and boys in each country dying before they reach the age of 60.

Such deaths are considered 'premature' as healthier lifestyles, vaccines, improved road safety and modern medicine means more people than ever before are reaching old age, reports The Telegraph.

Published in The Lancet, the study found that girls in Britain were as likely to die before the age of 60 as girls in Slovenia and Albania whilst boys in Britain were as likely to die early as those in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The study was conducted by a team at University of Washington.

Prof Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians, said: "We really need to be tackling the preventable causes of premature death and that is to do with health inequalities. In the UK the people who are hit by premature death tend to be the most deprived in our communities." (ANI)