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"North and South health divide: Chilling study reveals premature death is 'postcode lottery'," the Daily Mirror reports.
The news is based on a new interactive map showing the variation in premature death rates across England.
The Longer Lives map, created by the new organisation Public Health England, ranks 150 local authorities by their premature death rates (deaths occurring before age 75).
The interactive map also enables users to compare these areas by five common causes of premature (and potentially preventable) deaths:
- cancer
- heart disease
- stroke
- lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- liver diseases such as cirrhosis
Premature deaths and your local NHS
NHS Choices has a similar map of premature deaths broken down into local NHS areas.
These areas are those covered by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), which organise most of the hospital and community NHS services locally.
The simple, colour-coded map enables users to see the variations between each local authority at a glance, including a measure of socioeconomic deprivation.
Much of the media coverage of the new map was dominated by the striking contrast between large parts of the north, coloured red (poor health), and the affluent south, mostly coloured green (good health). However, there are also pockets of poor health in some southern cities, boroughs of London, and in the Midlands.
What information is this map based on?
The information provided in Longer Lives is from the Public Health Outcomes Framework. This uses records of deaths from the Office of National Statistics.
The death rates are standardised to account for the fact that death rates are higher in older populations and adjusts for differences in the age make-up of different areas.
What factors could explain the variations?
Summary
"North and South health divide: Chilling study reveals premature death is 'postcode lottery'," the Daily Mirror reports. The news is based on a new interactive map showing the variation in premature death rates across England...
Links to Headlines
Early deaths: Regional variations 'shocking' - Hunt. BBC News, June 11 2013
Councils should look at banning fizzy drinks in schools, says Health Secretary. The Daily Telegraph, June 11 2013
The health gap: New mortality rates show how the north loses out to the south. The Independent, June 11 2013
Steer clear of Manchester to avoid an early grave: City has highest rate of people who die prematurely. Daily Mail, June 11 2013
North and South health divide: Chilling study reveals premature death is 'postcode lottery'. Daily Mirror, June 11 2013
Early Death Atlas Shows 'Shocking' Variations. Sky News, June 11 2013
Most deaths in under-75s are potentially avoidable, says health body. The Guardian, June 11 2013
Want a long life? Live in the south of England. Metro, June 11 2013
Useful Links
Further Readings
Public Health England. Longer Lives
