I like to think that if you live a healthy lifestyle and take care of yourself and your health, that everybody in the UK should have relatively the same risk as each other. Not so, it seems. Not only do we have the so called ‘postcode lottery’ to contend with, but it seems where we live is affecting our health and wellness outcomes.
[Tweet “Postcode lottery – A situation in which the standard of medical care available to the public varies from area to area, depending on the funding policies of various health boards, and other factors. –Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005”]
I have discovered this useful tool which easily lets you check the ‘Relative Risk’ statistics according to your postcode, developed by Benenden Healthcare. It draws upon information published by the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, and compares the rates of certain diseases against the average.
I thought I’d have a play around with it; firstly I looked at what my risk is in my neck of the woods, Kent.
Then I checked out how my husband’s risk compared. I was shocked to note his was ‘moderate’ compared to my ‘low’ risk!
Then it got me thinking, I grew up in Bedford, how did that compare? Higher risk! Well, I’m glad I moved to the garden of England, it’s made me healthier! I’ve been living in Kent for 15 years, so I’m hoping I can count myself as a native now.
So I then did some further investigating and found out that if you want to live in a healthier area, you need to be in…
Birmingham! Men and women have a lower relative risk in the west midlands according to the tool. Find out your risk by entering your postcode here. The higher risk areas I identified include Newcastle Tyne and Wear and the vale of Glamorgan.
So it appears that although there can be factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, lifestyle, there can also be variable environmental factors that are at play. Why not check your postcode out and see how you fare – let me know in the comments!
This post is in collaboration with Benenden Healthcare.
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