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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| North-south health divide remains | North-south health divide remains |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| There is still a significant north-south health divide in England, government data has revealed. | There is still a significant north-south health divide in England, government data has revealed. |
| Northern areas have higher obesity rates, more smoking-related deaths and lower life expectancies. | Northern areas have higher obesity rates, more smoking-related deaths and lower life expectancies. |
| And Boston in Lincolnshire has been shown to have the highest obesity rate of any town in the country. | And Boston in Lincolnshire has been shown to have the highest obesity rate of any town in the country. |
| The data is released as the government announced supermarkets, schools and bus companies will be part of a renewed fight against the obesity epidemic. | The data is released as the government announced supermarkets, schools and bus companies will be part of a renewed fight against the obesity epidemic. |
| We need to change the environment and make it easier for people to be healthy Dr Ian Campbell No time for a cream cake | We need to change the environment and make it easier for people to be healthy Dr Ian Campbell No time for a cream cake |
| The Health Profile of England report - which shows the UK has the highest obesity rate in Europe - comes just two months after the Department of Health predicted 13m people in England would be obese by 2010 if nothing was done to tackle the problem. | The Health Profile of England report - which shows the UK has the highest obesity rate in Europe - comes just two months after the Department of Health predicted 13m people in England would be obese by 2010 if nothing was done to tackle the problem. |
| Smoking deaths | Smoking deaths |
| It sets out the progress the government has made in tackling public health since the publication of its Choosing Health white paper in 2004. | It sets out the progress the government has made in tackling public health since the publication of its Choosing Health white paper in 2004. |
| Life expectancy is increasing for all groups in society. | Life expectancy is increasing for all groups in society. |
| Smoking deaths in EnglandEnlarge Map | Smoking deaths in EnglandEnlarge Map |
| But there is still a clear north/south divide, with women in the north living on average one year less than those in the south. | But there is still a clear north/south divide, with women in the north living on average one year less than those in the south. |
| Northern men's life expectancy is two years shorter than men in the south. | Northern men's life expectancy is two years shorter than men in the south. |
| The government reports 1.2m people have stopped smoking since 1998. | The government reports 1.2m people have stopped smoking since 1998. |
| But Yorkshire and Humber, the North West and the North East regions have higher than average death rates from smoking-related diseases. | But Yorkshire and Humber, the North West and the North East regions have higher than average death rates from smoking-related diseases. |
| Time needed | Time needed |
| Health minister Caroline Flint said: "We are learning the lessons of what has and has not worked in influencing the choices people make about their health. | Health minister Caroline Flint said: "We are learning the lessons of what has and has not worked in influencing the choices people make about their health. |
| "People will only change their behaviour when they decide changing is worth the results." | "People will only change their behaviour when they decide changing is worth the results." |
| Life expectancy around EnglandEnlarge Map | Life expectancy around EnglandEnlarge Map |
| She added: "We have learnt that parents are unable to assess their personal or family's weight status and do not appreciate the associated risks of being overweight or obese. | She added: "We have learnt that parents are unable to assess their personal or family's weight status and do not appreciate the associated risks of being overweight or obese. |
| "We have also found that people do not connect their day-to-day behaviour to being overweight or obese. | "We have also found that people do not connect their day-to-day behaviour to being overweight or obese. |
| "Parents are not always embracing healthy eating and active lifestyles as it is perceived to be too challenging. | "Parents are not always embracing healthy eating and active lifestyles as it is perceived to be too challenging. |
| "We want to support parents to make them feel more able to make the changes that are needed to make a big difference to their own - and their children's lives." | "We want to support parents to make them feel more able to make the changes that are needed to make a big difference to their own - and their children's lives." |
| But Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: "The problem of obesity is too entrenched to be simply an issue of issuing more advice. | But Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: "The problem of obesity is too entrenched to be simply an issue of issuing more advice. |
| "It's difficult to deal with that information. | "It's difficult to deal with that information. |
| "Instead, we need to change the environment and make it easier for people to be healthy, with measures such as cutting the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods and making it safer for people to cycle or walk." | "Instead, we need to change the environment and make it easier for people to be healthy, with measures such as cutting the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods and making it safer for people to cycle or walk." |
| READ THE REPORTS Obesity rates [357KB] Smoking deaths [225KB] Life expectancy [1.5MB] Most computers will open these documents automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here | READ THE REPORTS Obesity rates [357KB] Smoking deaths [225KB] Life expectancy [1.5MB] Most computers will open these documents automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here |
| Dr Tim Crayford, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, praised the government for recognising the importance of tackling public health issues such as smoking and obesity, and said it took time to tackle such long-standing issues. | Dr Tim Crayford, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, praised the government for recognising the importance of tackling public health issues such as smoking and obesity, and said it took time to tackle such long-standing issues. |
| But he said just a fraction of the £211m of funding promised for public health in England had actually reached professionals this year. | But he said just a fraction of the £211m of funding promised for public health in England had actually reached professionals this year. |
| "We want to see that money protected in future years for use on public health issues." | "We want to see that money protected in future years for use on public health issues." |
| Andrew Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, said the government had abandoned Tory measures to tackle obesity when it came into office, and done nothing itself to tackle the problem. | |
| "We have got to have serious interventions: more school nurses, more health visitors who are routinely working with families at home, and a food labelling scheme consistently applied across all products which shows people what guideline daily amounts are, and which helps them to build a good diet." |