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Life is 10 years shorter for men in NW1 than in NW3
MEN living in the deprived streets of Somers Town are dying 10 years earlier than their neighbours in leafy Hampstead.
Males in the ward of St Pancras and Somers Town have an average life expectancy of just 71 - the same as boys being born in the war-torn Palestinian West Bank.
But those less than three miles away in the ward of Hampstead are reaching the ripe old age of 81 - the same as boys being born in Macau, the Chinese territory that last year boasted the longest life expectancy in the world.
Health chiefs insist they are closing the gap - which was 11 years at the beginning of this century - and that the main challenge is getting Somers Town residents to adopt healthier lifestyles.
But community campaigners say people's health will always suffer while they are forced to live in cramped flats with barely any open space.
Labour councillor Roger Robinson, who represents St Pancras and Somers Town, said: "There are very high levels of deprivation, very high pollution, and very little parkland - the nearest is Regent's Park. We only have one youth club and not much in the way of playgrounds.
"A lot of good things are being done but not enough. We need more money spent. And we need more open land. Instead of putting in a medical research centre behind the British Library, they should be putting in open land."
Community campaigner Alan Paterson agreed. He said: "There is no space for people to breathe and enjoy themselves.
"It's difficult to see how people can develop, and then retire in a respectable manner, when they are living in a sardine can. There are families with two, three, four children in two-bedroom flats.
"Yes there may be smoking and drinking. But that is normally because of stress and a sense of insecurity - which is how people in Somers Town feel."
Health chiefs say the reason why people in Somers Town are dying earlier is because they have unhealthier lifestyles - and because they have less access to doctors.
The biggest cause of early death in Camden is cancer, responsible for 35 per cent of the 1,615 premature deaths a year. This is closely followed by cardiovascular problems such as heart disease, responsible for 28 per cent of the early deaths.
Rob Larkman, chief executive of NHS Camden, said: "The life expectancy gap has gone down and is going in the right direction.
"The biggest cause of early death is smoking and other lifestyle factors such as lack of exercise, poor diet and abuse of alcohol. Unhealthy lifestyles are more prevalent in deprived areas such as Gospel Oak and Somers Town.
"Some communities in these areas also find it more difficult to access health services or are less likely to go to their GP. But without a doubt, poor housing is also an issue.
"So we are working on initiatives such as outdoor gyms and subsidised gym membership. We are also opening a GP-led health centre in Hampstead Road, in the most under-doctored part of Camden.
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