Holy heart by-passes! The latest NHS snapshot on the health of the nation makes for scary reading for those of us who live in the tip of Kent. Here's what it says about us Thanetians:
· Life expectancy is increasing, but on average, men and women in Thanet can expect to live shorter lives than in England. (Yikes!).
· Teenage pregnancy rates are high compared to the England average. (Cripes!)
· The rate of reported violent crime is higher than England. (Do you Wantsum???)
· Estimated smoking rates and death rates from smoking are both high. Early death rates from cancer are also higher than the England average. Levels of healthy eating, physical activity and adult obesity are similar to national levels. (Shurely shome mishtake? - Ed) However binge drinking is estimated to be below the England average (because we're all permanently stocious, one assumes). More people are admitted to hospital in Thanet for alcohol specific conditions than the England average. Both the percentage of people with recorded diabetes and the rate of people claiming sickness benefit because of mental health problems are high compared to England. (Blimey!)
That's it, I'm off to Tunbridge Wells, where:
· Life expectancy is increasing and is above the average life expectancy for England. There are differences in life expectancy between income groups. (Hurrah!)
· Although the death rate from smoking is low, smoking accounts for around 150 deaths every year. Early death rates from heart disease and stroke are low compared to England. (Yippee!)
· Lifestyles are comparatively healthy with estimated binge drinking and smoking rates below the England average. The land required to support an average resident’s lifestyle in Tunbridge Wells is greater than the average for England (ecological footprint). Although the percentage of people with recorded diabetes in Tunbridge Wells is lower than the England average, over 3,200 people are recorded as having diabetes. (I can live with that!)
Report on BBC website.
NHS Community Health Profiles.
5 comments:
! No - don't go - Thanet needs you! Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells doesn't suit you somehow!
Was that Anonymous of Tunbridge Wells?
Ah, Anonymous of Woodend! Anonymous of Ramsgate here!
I recently moved from Tunbridge Wells to Ramsgate and physically disprove the theory that its residents are healthy specimens full of vitatlity. Having lived there for 8 years the draw of cutting my life short in the millionaires playground was too much to resist.
The climate here is very good as long as you avoid the cloud of hot air and methane hovering over the council chamber in Cecil Street.
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