Worcestershire: An overview of health across the county
Overall Worcestershire is healthier than England as a whole;
however the population is not homogenous; there is a mix of rural
and urban areas with an older population in the former and younger
in the latter. Whist our urban areas tend to have high IMD scores
(Indices of multiple deprivation) the County has rural areas which
score very highly for deprivation in terms of geographical access
to services, including health services:
Key Points:
- Overall life expectancy in Worcestershire for men and women is
higher than national figures for England
- Population growth will be mainly in older age groups (over
65s)
- Mortality rates from major health diseases such as circulatory
diseases and cancers have been decreasing.
There is room for continued improvement and priority areas
include:
- Smoking cessation and adult obesity remain priorities
- A significant proportion of children are overweight or
obese
- 20% of adults drink more than the safe limit
- Less than a third do the recommend amount of exercise and
majority do not eat at least 5 portions of fresh fruit and
vegetables each day
- Cases of dementia are increasing
- Number of falls in older people over 65 has risen steadily
