A health check has found people living in deprived areas are more likely to die younger or need medical treatment.

The Department of Health has published profiles showing how fit people are in Sussex. Hastings and Brighton and Hove, which have some of the poorest areas, are the unhealthiest places to live.

More affluent areas such as Wealden, Mid Sussex and Horsham have some of the most positive results.

The profiles show there are strong links between poor health, poverty and low educational achievements.

They take into account issues such as housing and exam results as well as death rates from cancer, heart disease and strokes. They also looked at smoking, obesity and binge-drinking figures.

The research shows Hastings has some of the biggest problems with poverty in Sussex and therefore some of the unhealthiest results.

More than 30 per cent of children in the area are living in poverty and eight of the wards are within the 25 per cent most deprived in the country.

Drug misuse

Hastings has ten health areas "significantly worse" than the England average.

There is a high number of road injuries and deaths, alcohol-related stays in hospital, violent crimes and cases of drug misuse.

Most people say they generally feel poorly and life expectancy rates for men are shorter than normal. Hastings also has the highest proportion of smokers in Sussex, with 32 per cent of adults failing to kick the habit.

Brighton and Hove's child poverty rate is higher than the average in the South East and 10,000 children are living in low-income households.

The city has four wards among the most deprived 25 per cent in England and almost 60 per cent of council housing is below the "decent homes standard". Although many residents eat a healthy diet, the survey found the city has a high number of binge drinkers and a lot of alcohol-related stays in hospital.

East Sussex scored positive results in almost all health-related issues compared to the rest of country.

Life expectancy is better than the national average and the number of deaths from smoking, strokes and heart disease is low.

However, West Sussex has seven wards where men have a much lower life expectancy than the national average of 78.5 years. Deaths from smoking, stroke and heart disease were lower than most of England and the rest of the region.

West Sussex and East Sussex both have some of the highest figures in the country for the number of elderly people being supported in their own homes.

The reports suggests it is because there is a large population of older people. There is also a high number of people being cared for in nursing homes.

Adur

  • A quarter of adults smoke and one in eight binge drinks
  • More than 22 per cent of adults are obese, high compared to the regional and national average
  • Deaths from smoking, heart disease and strokes are considerably lower than the England average
  • Significantly fewer children suffer tooth decay than average

Arun

  • People living in wealthier areas are likely to live six years more than those in deprived areas
  • More than 23 per cent of adults are obese, which is high compared to the regional and national average
  • The number of people registered with diabetes is higher than average
  • Deaths from smoking are lower than average

Brighton & Hove

  • Adults have healthier diets and lower obesity compared with the rest of England
  • An estimated 30.5 per cent of adults smoke, significantly worse than the national average
  • 58 per cent of local authority housing failed to meet "decent homes standard"
  • Violent crime, road casualties and alcohol-related hospital stays are higher than the rest of England

Chichester

  • People lead healthier lifestyles than in other parts of the country
  • Deaths from cancer are dropping more slowly than the national rate
  • The number of people registered with diabetes is higher than average
  • Death rates from smoking, heart disease and strokes are low

Crawley

  • Adults have healthier diets than in other parts of the country
  • The number of people smoking, binge drinking and overweight are in line with national averages
  • Deaths from smoking are a lot lower than the England average
  • Levels of violent crime are high

Eastbourne

  • Alcohol-related hospital stays are significantly higher than the national average
  • The number of adults eating healthily and binge drinking are in line with the rest of England
  • Death rates for people under 75 from heart disease and strokes are lower than average
  • There is a high amount of poor-quality housing

Hastings

  • Health indicators are poor when compared with the rest of the country
  • Life expectancy is much lower than the England average
  • Rates of heart disease and strokes are higher than average
  • 32 per cent of adults smoke

Horsham

  • 180 adults die from smoking-related causes every year, which is lower than average
  • The number of adults eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day is low
  • Death rates from cancers, heart disease and strokes are low and continuing to drop
  • A fifth of adults are obese

Lewes

  • Quality of housing stock is good, with only nine per cent of local authority homes falling below the decent homes standard'
  • Life expectancy is better than average
  • The number of deaths caused by smoking is lower than the national average
  • There is less violent crime and fewer than average hospital stays linked to alcohol

Mid Sussex

  • The infant death rate, at 5.6 per 1,000 live births, is slightly high compared with similar areas
  • Death rates from heart disease and stroke are low and continuing to decrease
  • Deaths from cancer are low but dropping more slowly than the rest of the country
  • More than one in six people still smoke and 14.3 per cent of adults binge drink

Rother

  • Deaths from smoking, heart disease and strokes are lower than average
  • Life expectancy in Sackville, St Michael's and Sidley wards is lower than the national average
  • Self-reporting of ill health is better than the national average but lower than the South East region
  • Deaths from cancer are higher than the regional average

Wealden

  • Life expectancy is significantly better than regional and national averages
  • 33 per cent of adults said they were eating healthily
  • Deaths from smoking, heart disease, strokes and cancer are lower than average
  • GCSE exam results are better than the national average

Worthing

  • Deaths from heart disease and strokes are dropping more slowly than other parts of the country
  • Fewer people binge drink and more people eat healthier diets
  • People in Heene, Central and Selden wards have a shorter life expectancy than average
  • More than a quarter of adults smoke