secret of how to live longer
11/10/06
by mark reynolds and tom wainwright
the secrets to a longer life were revealed
in an official report yesterday.
Britons were urged to lose weight, eat
fruit and vegetables – and move to
dorset where people live up to eight years
longer than elsewhere in the country.
As the government launched an assault on
"fat britain", ministers said parents
needed to take the lead by giving their
children healthier food and encouraging
more exercise.
The wake-up call came as britons were
revealed to be the fattest people in
europe, spending too much time sitting
down and regarding healthy lifestyles as
"too challenging".
A new health map shows the best areas for
longevity and the worst for obesity. And
the government’s report revealed a
serious divide in the standard of public
health between the north and south.
Southern regions scored better in almost
all areas, from teen pregnancies, to
dental care, to smoking and drinking.
Children in the north-west have twice as
many decayed teeth as those in the
south-east. Men in east dorset live eight
years longer than men in blackpool.
The report showed that when it comes to
obesity, britain has a bulging middle,
with those in the midlands most likely to
be overweight. More than a quarter of
east midlanders are
obese.
But the north fared better than the south
in some other areas, including violent
crime rates and road safety.
Health experts said last night that the
geographical divide was here to stay.
Peter hollins, chief executive of the
british heart foundation, said: "the
north-south health divide has been a
problem for decades and it is concerning
that the gap is showing no signs of
narrowing.
"the government’s new health map paints
a picture of a country struggling with
some serious public health issues in
particular areas."
social problems such as binge drinking and
smoking were concentrated in the north,
the report showed.
Binge drinking is a problem for between 21
and 25 per cent of people in yorkshire,
the north-west and north-east. Across the
south fewer than 16 per cent are binge
drinkers. Around 1.1 million britons are
alcoholics.
In the north-east there were 66 per cent
more deaths from smoking among men than in
the south-west. The figure for women was
43 per cent.
Health minister caroline flint said the
difference was partly due to the economic
deprivation in the north.
Some 38 per cent of those in the
north-east are classed as deprived,
compared with five per cent in the
south-east.
Ms flint said: "if you haven’t got a
job, if you don’t feel you’ve got
skills, if you look out of the window and
you don’t like your environment, it’s
quite hard to think about your health
because you think ‘what have I got to be
healthy for?’
"if you feel good about yourself and you
want to live longer, you will do more to
make sure you do live longer."
but northerners are safer in some
respects, the report showed.
Violent crime is highest in london, with
27 reported cases per 1,000 people. In
the north-east, the figure was 16, the
joint-lowest.
London was also highest for road injuries
and deaths, with 14.3 incidents per
million kilometres, compared with 6.1 in
the north-east and west midlands. Boston
in lincolnshire has the unenviable title
of the highest obesity rate of any town in
the country – one in three.
The reason is believed to be a combination
of high concentration of areas of severe
deprivation and a lack of awareness.
The wealthy essex town of saffron walden
boasts the lowest rates of obesity, at one
in six.
Men in northern counties die on average
two years earlier than their southern
equivalents.
The most extreme difference in the
mortality rate sees men in the north-west
seaside town of blackpool living on
average eight years less than their
counterparts in east dorset – 72.8 and
80.8 respectively.
Alex clarke, chairman of east dorset
district council, said the secret of long
life was beautiful countryside and
community spirit.
"i’ve lived all over the country and I
have to say that east dorset is a
wonderful place to live," he said.
Women live longest in london’s affluent
borough of kensington and chelsea – 84.8
years, while those in blackburn live 77.6
years. Babies born in birmingham are six
times more likely to die in their first
year than those born in eastleigh,
hampshire. On the need for healthier
eating, ms flint said: "our initial focus
will be obese adults and children."
the government wants supermarkets to
provide in-store demonstrations on how
healthier food should be prepared and
eaten.
Schools and bus companies will be made
part of the fight against obesity. And
the public will be issued money vouchers
which can only be spent on milk, fruit and
vegetables.
The new report, health profile of england,
makes worrying reading for the
over-stretched nhs. Obesity already costs
the health service £1billion a year.
The uk tops europe’s obesity chart, with
fatter citizens than greece, spain,
germany, poland, france, italy and
switzerland.
Medical experts predict some 13 million
people in england will be obese by 2010 if
nothing is done to tackle the problem.
Last night shadow health secretary andrew
lansley said: "the government’s white
paper in 2004 talked about an obesity
strategy but the implementation has been
virtually non-existent."
