We're still smoking ourselves to death (From The Northern Echo)

We're still smoking ourselves to death

2:00am Tuesday 23rd October 2007 in News By Barry Nelson, Health Editor

NEW figures reveal that more people aged over 35 in the North-East die from smoking than anywhere else in England.

The shocking new statistics show that older smokers in the region are significantly more likely to die from smoking-related diseases than smokers from any other part of the country.

The figures in The Health Profile of England 2007, published by the Department of Health today, make grim reading.

The figures show that in the North-East 315.1 smokers per 100,000 of over 35s die of smoking-related diseases each year.

This compares badly with the average for England of 234.8 and is way beyond the East of England's rate of 198.1.

Even the North-West, which often has poorer health statistics than the North-East, lags behind our region with a figure of 289.8 deaths.

Yorkshire and the Humber trail behind on 259.8 per 100,000.

The Government report shows that Britons drink more alcohol, eat less fruit and veg and are more likely to die from smoking than the average European.

While life expectancy is at its highest level yet, there are problems tackling public health issues.

Rates of obesity, diabetes and alcohol-related admissions are rising across England and there are stark differences between the health of people in the North and South.

The study showed there is poorer health in the North of England compared to the South across many factors.

Men in the North-East and North-West live for more than two and a half years less than those in the South-East and South-West.

A total of 17.3 per cent of the population in the North-East is income deprived compared with 8.4 per cent of those in the South East The under 18 conception rate is highest in the North-East, at 51.2 per 1,000 girls compared with 33.6 per 1,000 in the East of England and the South East.

The number of binge drinking adults is highest at 25.1 per cent in the North-East compared with 15.4 per cent in London.

The North-East also has the highest rates in England for early death from cancer and deaths from smoking-related diseases.

There is also a low number of people eating five portions of fruit and veg a day, as recommended by the Government.

The proportion of men in the North East who think their health is ''not good'' is almost double that in the South East.