By Dr Katie Tryon, Head of Clinical Vitality, PruHealth
Where you live and work really does have an impact on your health. A new health map based on a combination of lifestyle choices and clinical outcomes of nearly 10,000 employees across the country has been produced as part of Britain’s Healthiest Company research undertaken jointly by PruHealth with Vitality and Mercer.
It paints a fascinating picture of the health of the nation and shows how people’s lifestyles are impacting their overall health and ultimately reducing their life expectancy. There is a clear picture of how each region is performing and exposes where the hotspots are. According to the map, London has the healthiest workers while Wales fares the worst, and it shows stark variations in the heath and lifestyles of Brits.
The Britain’s Healthiest Company study analysed lifestyle, behavioural and clinical risk factors including weight, diet, exercise, smoking, alcohol intake, stress, cholesterol and blood glucose levels, blood pressure as well as how often people attend health screenings to monitor and understand their health.
Top healthiest regions in the UK
- London
- Northern Ireland
- North East / South East
- South West
- North West / East Anglia
Overall 86% of British workers have an average Vitality (health) Age** of 4.1 years older than their real age due to unhealthy lifestyles. In comparison, workers in London have a health age of 3.2 years older than their actual age, while those in Wales are 5.5 years older due to their lifestyle choices. (Find out your Vitality Age at www.vitalityagecalculator.com)
Workers in London are the slimmest (65% in the healthy range) and do the most exercise (45%), while those in the North East came up top eating most healthily (74%), smoking the least (26%) and are most conscious about their health, attending on average 1.44 health screenings every year. At the other end of the scale, nearly three quarters (74%) of workers in Wales are not exercising enough and over half (55%) smoke. The West Midlands also fell short with only 42% in the healthy weight range and just 57% eating a healthy, balanced diet.
The health map launches Britain’s Healthiest Company 2014, which aims to find and celebrate the country’s most outstanding organisations demonstrating best practice and innovative approaches to looking after the health and wellbeing of their staff. As part of Britain’s Healthiest Company, research, analysis and production of tailored Health reports for each participant will be undertaken by the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe, which collaborate on health research through the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research.
For more information visit www.britainshealthiestcompany.co.uk
