Summary
Public Health England has published the Longer Lives website which ranks local authorities in league tables, using a colour-coded traffic-light system, to highlight regional variations in premature death. Red indicates the worst regions, while green indicates the best areas, when comparing the numbers of people under the age of 75 who died over a two-year period.
Approximately three-quarters of the 153,000 premature deaths each year in England are due to cancer, heart attack or stroke, lung disease and liver disease. People in north-west England generally have a greater risk of dying early. Manchester, Blackpool, Liverpool and Salford have the highest rates of premature mortality. Local authorities in the West Midlands have relatively poor rates.
Socio-economic deprivation is a large factor in life expectancy, partly explaining the regional disparities, but Public Health England’s analysis allows councils to compare themselves with others having comparable socio-economic backgrounds. The data should enable local authorities to take proactive action to reduce smoking, drinking, poor diet and obesity. It should also help to identify and spread “best practice” nationally.
Read more: BBC News. Early deaths: Regional variations ‘shocking’ – Hunt.
Reference
Gallagher, J. (2013). Early deaths: Regional variations ‘shocking’ – Hunt. London: BBC Health News, June 11th 2013.
This relates to:
Reference
Longer Lives (online). In 2011, one in three deaths in England was under the age of 75: see how your local authority compares. London: Public Health England, June 2013.
See also the NHS Choices commentary:
Reference
‘Early death map’ shows English health inequality. London: NHS Choices, June 11th 2013.
[A brief reference to this item features in Dementia and Elderly Care: the Latest Evidence Newsletter (RWNHST), Volume 3 Issue 9, August 2013].
