In recent years Portsmouth and Gosport were ranked among the worst in the South East and worse than the England average for problems ranging from obesity to early deaths from smoking.
Now the Association of Public Health Observatories' latest stat
istics published today show no break from the norm – despite the efforts of primary care trusts to improve matters.
In Portsmouth, new methods include Pompey ticket giveaways to smokers who quit for at least four weeks through the NHS. In Havant and Gosport, where obesity levels are higher than in other parts of Hampshire, health workers have offered free slimming club subscriptions.
Only yesterday the Safer Portsmouth Partnership, in conjunction with Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust, launched the Save Dave campaign to target friends and relatives of men aged over 35 who drink too much alcohol.
And earlier this year Portsmouth became one of nine Healthy Towns nationwide. It was awarded £3.1m from the government which has been match-funded by agencies including Portsmouth CIty Council and the primary care trust to improve residents' wellbeing.
Yet the health of residents in the city and some areas of southeast Hampshire is not improving as fast as officials would like.
Today The News reveals:
- Almost one in four Gosport adults – 23.8 per cent – are obese, a figure that has not changed from the previous year;
- Almost 13 per cent of Portsmouth children are obese by the age of five – 199 children;
- Last year 465 girls aged under 18 fell pregnant across the area, with teen pregnancy rates in Portsmouth the worst, at 51.7 per 1,000 girls;
- 29.6 per cent of adults in the city smoke, unchanged from last year and above the national average of 24.1;
- There were 9,839 hospital admissions for alcohol-related harm across the News area last year – almost 27 a day;
- Life expectancy among men in Portsmouth is still below the national average, at 76 years and seven months;
- However, women in Fareham live longer than anywhere else in our area, at an average 83 years and nine months.
Health officials are investing millions to tackle the problems. But they fear the messages are still not getting through.
'This health profile clearly shows how the health of our residents is related to deprivation, resulting in wide inequalities between those living in the more deprived and affluent areas,' says Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, Portsmouth's director of public health.
He adds: 'Women still enjoy better health than men, and while female mortality is now better than the national average, men still have a higher mortality rate. There will be no let-up in our efforts to address this, including our ongoing health campaigns with Portsmouth Football Club and our vascular checks programme.
'There is much we are already doing and will continue to do. But this isn't something that can just be left to the authorities. People have to take a long look at their own lives and lifestyles and make healthy choices.'
Christine Jackson, acting director of public health for NHS Hampshire, says: 'Our main priorities are to reduce smoking, obesity and harmful alcohol consumption as well as deaths from stoke, cancer and coronary heart disease.'
