Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

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Figure 3.5: Proportion of wards in each Local Authority
District whose rate of poor health is significantly higher
than the regional average (based on 2001 Census)
0% of wards 1-10% of wards 11-30% of wards >31% of wards
South Cambridgeshire Epping Forest Mid-Bedfordshire Great Yarmouth
Brentwood Uttlesford Maldon Norwich
Chelmsford East Cambridgeshire Castle Point Thurrock
Rochford Three Rivers Fenland Peterborough
Broxbourne Welwyn Hatfield South Bedfordshire Ipswich
East Hertfordshire Breckland Waveney Southend-on-Sea
North Hertfordshire Cambridge Basildon Luton
St. Albans Colchester Braintree
Broadland Dacorum Harlow
North Norfolk Hertsmere Tendring
Babergh Bedford King's Lynn & W Norfolk
Forest Heath Stevenage
Mid Suffolk Watford
St.Edmundsbury South Norfolk
Suffolk Coastal Huntingdonshire
(Source: Data prepared by ERPHO)
Poor health
3.5 The 2001 Census gathered information on self-reported health. Allowing for differences in the age
structure, Figure 3.5 shows the proportion of wards in each Local Authority District in the East of
England in which the age-adjusted rate of poor health is significantly higher than the regional
average. These data suggest that the incidence of poor health is highest in the larger urban areas
(Luton, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock, Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough and Great Yarmouth), some
of the more remote rural areas (e.g. Fenland and Maldon), and some of the Districts dominated
by new towns/ post-war settlements (e.g. Harlow, Basildon).
‘Big killers’
3.6 In the East of England – as elsewhere – CHD and cancer are the ‘big killers’. Key risk factors include
smoking, obesity, physically inactive lifestyles, poor diet, excess salt, alcohol, diabetes and raised
blood pressure. 16
16 The CHD National Service Framework: Leading the Way Progress Report 2005, DH (Crown copyright).