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Kensington & Chelsea has UK’s highest life expectancy

Summary:

According to the Office for National Statistics the life expectancy in Kensington and Chelsea is 85.1 years for men and 89.8 for women.

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By Nadine Burham-Marshalleck

Babies born in Kensington and Chelsea are likely to live longer than those born elsewhere in the UK.

According to the Office for National Statistics’ new figures, life expectancy measured at birth for Kensington and Chelsea’s men is 85.1 years.

For women in the same area the figure is 89.8 years.

The new statistics are for 2008-10 and are compared to previously released figures for 2004-06 to 2007-09.

Life expectancy for men in Kensington and Chelsea has increased by 2.1 years since the 2004–06 report.

For women there has been an increase of 2.7 years since the 2004-06 report.

The ONS report said: “Although life expectancy in most areas continues to improve, there is a widening gap between the areas with the highest and lowest life expectancies.”

Since the 2004-06 report, the gap has increased from 12.5 to 13.5 years for males and from 10.1 to 11.8 years for females.

In stark contrast, Glasgow City has the lowest life expectancy rate in the UK.

In 2008-10 male life expectancy in the area was 13.5 years lower than in Kensington and Chelsea.

Female life expectancy in Glasgow City is 11.8 years lower than in Kensington and Chelsea.

A wide range of individual circumstances can affect health and subsequent mortality.

An NHS Kensington and Chelsea spokesperson said: “Higher life expectancy may reflect factors such as diet, lifestyle, being in full time employment and level of education as well as access to medical care.

“It may also reflect a selective effect: people with chronic life-threatening illnesses are less likely to become wealthy or to reside in affluent areas.”

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