How living in a poor area can double odds of dying early

RESIDENTS of the poorest parts of Britain are twice as likely to die early as those in the most affluent areas, damning figures show.

A major study found huge variations in deaths from illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s.

It said the average rate of early deaths in Blackpool was more than double that of Wokingham, Berkshire.

Half of all early deaths – when someone dies before the average life expectancy – were linked to preventable factors such as diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol, high blood pressure and air pollution.

Improving the health and lifestyles of entire areas of the UK could therefore save tens of thousands of lives a year, the findings in The Lancet suggest.

The University of East Anglia used official data from death records, cancer and other health registries across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland between 1990 and 2016.

Life expectancy has improved in all four countries of the UK, but the rate of improvement has slowed since 2010, they found. Slowdowns to improvements in heart disease, cerebrovascular disease –

‘Stark division across the country’

and to a lesser extent bowel, lung and breast cancer – are behind the stall. In England, rates of premature death were highest in Blackpool, followed by Stokeon-Trent, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackburn. At the opposite end of the scale were Wokingham, Windsor and Maidenhead, and West Berkshire.

Author Professor John Newton, director of health improvement at Public Health England, UK, said: ‘This comprehensive assessment of health across the country highlights the stark division between rich and poor areas, which sees poorer people dying earlier and getting sicker quicker.

‘It also shows the improvements that could be achieved by addressing underlying causes such as poverty and education.’

A Department of Health spokesman said: ‘We have a strong track record on public health – robust Government action has led to a fall in rates of smoking, and our world-leading childhood obesity plan promotes ways to keep children healthy from an early age.

‘We are giving £16billion to local councils to fund public health services over the current spending period.’