Life expectancy better than average, says report
Merton is a generally healthy borough, with male life expectancy two years above the national average, according to health figures just released.
The Health Profile 2010 report for Merton, published by the Association Of Public Health Observatories, says the borough's health is "generally good" while deprivation levels are low.
Male life expectancy in Merton is 79.9 years, compared with the national average for England of 77.9, while female life expectancy is 83.4 against a national average of 82.
The report also states that levels of obesity, smoking and healthy eating are better in Merton than the national average, as are the rates of early deaths from cancer, heart disease and strokes.
Levels of children spending more than three hours per week on physical activity in school and tooth decay among children aged five years are also better than the average.
However, the rate of physically active adults worse than the national average. The report also highlights the inequalities of health within Merton - life expectancy for men living in the least
deprived areas of the borough is almost five years higher than for men living in the
most deprived areas. The
difference for women is three years.
More information about the Health Profiles report is available on the Association Of Public Health Observatories website.
July 12, 2010