4:40pm Friday 12th March 2010
By Siobhan Ryan, Health Reporter
Men living in deprived areas of Brighton and Hove are likely to die more than ten years earlier than those in more affluent parts of the city.
The decade-long health divide has been partly blamed on poor lifestyle choices including smoking, not getting enough exercise and a bad diet.
Research shows people in areas including Moulsecoomb, East Brighton and south Portslade, have higher levels of obesity and diabetes, more smokers and a higher number of binge drinkers.
The ward with the lowest average life expectancy for both men and women is Queen's Park, 75.8 years, and the area with the highest is Brunswick at 84.5 years.
However experts have calculated that men living in the ward have a lifespan 10.4 years lower than those in Brunswick.
The difference between women is 5.6 years.
Illnesses that make the biggest contributors to the life-expectancy gap are heart disease, lung cancer, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide.
NHS Brighton and Hove and the city council are working together on a five year plan to improve the health of the city's population.
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