Local health worse than national average

Cigarette

In its latest annual health profile for the Borough of Rochdale the Association of Public Health Observatories, funded by the Department of Health, has revealed the health of people in Rochdale is generally worse than the England average.

There is a higher than average incidence of violent crime, adults who smoke (an estimate), and life expectancy. However, a few indicators are similar to the national average, such as hip fractures among the over 65s, and a few are significantly better, including excess winter deaths.

There are inequalities by deprivation, gender and ethnicity. For example, men and women in the least deprived areas can expect to live around nine years longer than those in the most deprived areas.

Over the last ten years there have been decreases in death rates from all causes and in early death rates from heart disease and stroke, and cancer. However, the rates remain above the England averages.

The health of children and young people is generally worse than the England average, including smoking in pregnancy, breast feeding initiation and teenage pregnancy. However, the percentage of children who are physically active is significantly better than average.

The rate of claimants of incapacity benefits for mental illness is the eighth worst in England, with nearly 6,700 claimants.