20/06/2006

Poor still 'dying younger', research reveals

Babies born in certain areas of Scotland and the North of England still have far lower life expectancy than those born in more affluent areas of London and south and east England.

The research, by the Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy, ranked the 10 best and worst areas for life expectancy in the UK.

The lowest life expectancy rates were found in Glasgow, where the average man's life-span was 69.3 and a woman's was 76.4. This compared with an average life expectancy of 80.8 for men and 83.9 for women in East Dorset, the area with the highest life expectancy rates.

Areas with the lowest life expectancies included Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire, Dundee City, Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool, while those with the highest included Kensington and Chelsea, South Norfolk, Wokingham, Brentwood and Winchester.

The CSP said that the study showed a clear link between wealth and lifespan. Areas that were traditionally wealthy, or had high rates of employment were also found to have the highest life expectancy rates.

CSP Chief Executive Phil Gray said: "It is sadly still a fact of life that the poorer die younger. Lifespan should not be determined by wealth in 2006. Physiotherapists want to see health inequalities become a feature of the past.

"To ensure that length of life is more equitable across the UK, the CSP is calling on everyone involved in the delivery of healthcare to place more emphasis on ill-health prevention strategies and put removal of inequality at the top of the health agenda."

(KMcA/SP)

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