There’s a three-year difference in life expectancy across the South Hams according to research from the group Health Equals.
Most of the district has the highest life expectancy of 84 years. This figure applies to TQ7 Kingsbridge, TQ8 Salcombe and PL8 Yealmpton.
In TQ6 Dartmouth life expectancy is 84, in PL21 Ivybridge and TQ9 Totnes it is 83 and PL6 Plymouth which includes Woolwell it is 81.
The figures are an aggregate of men and women.
Health Equals runs a campaign called #LivesCutShort which highlights regional differences in life expectancy.
As part of their aim to promote healthy lives for all, they have been working to take collective action on the wider determinants of health.
The five-year initiative, funded by the Health Foundation, is working with a diverse membership from across different sectors and determinants of health – from housing and employment, to education and the environment.
Through powerful and evidence-based campaigns, Health Equals wants to shape a new public conversation about health and wellbeing, and influence national policy to prioritise health in a way that recognises the importance of the world around us.
According to their website: “The world around us shapes our health and the wellbeing of society overall – from decent homes that are warm and safe, to stable jobs, clean air, and neighbourhoods with green space. These are the essential building blocks of health and wellbeing.
But these building blocks aren’t available to everyone in the same way. Right now, in the UK, things like poverty and poor living conditions are damaging health, reducing life expectancy and widening health inequalities – all driven by the circumstances in which people are born, live and work.
And while much is known about the impact of these wider determinants on health, this evidence has not been translated into coherent policy action in the UK. Health Equals is setting out to create the political and public buy in, and cross-sector action, to influence national policy and create lasting change on health inequalities in the UK.”
To check out data from any part of the UK you can visit: https://healthequals.org.uk/