Longer life expectancies and fewer deaths from heart attacks and smoking are just some of the findings revealed in the health profiles for the East Midlands published today.
Health Profiles 2009, which have been produced by the Department of Health and the Association of Public Health Observatories for the fourth year running, use key health indicators to capture a picture of the nation’s health to specific local authority areas.
These health snapshots can then be used to support action by local government and NHS primary care trusts across the region to tackle health inequalities and improve people’s health.
The key points from Health Profiles 2009 for the East Midlands include:
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Generally, health across the region is improving - people are living longer and fewer people are dying early from the major killers such as heart disease and stroke.
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However, there are still health inequalities in the region. People living in more deprived areas within the East Midlands tend to live shorter lives than those living in more affluent areas. For example, the life expectancy for men in Nottingham is five years less than in Rutland and three years less than the England average. Tackling and reducing these inequalities is a key priority for the region.
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We have fewer deaths from smoking in the East Midlands and figures* released earlier this year revealed that we had the highest percentage of smokers who have quit with the help of NHS stop smoking services in the country. We also have an estimated lower percentage of binge drinking than the national average.
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Child obesity in reception year children is lower than the national average but we still have to work to reduce obesity levels in the region’s adult population.
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Levels of child tooth decay (at age five) are also below the national level.
David Walker, NHS East Midlands director of public health, said: “These profiles provide a useful overview of health across the region. They show there are still inequalities within the East Midlands and tackling this issue is one of our main priorities. They also highlight that the targeted work we are doing to reduce such issues as childhood obesity, like the Change4Life campaign which is about making healthier lifestyle choices, is paying off.”
