Six of Britain’s ten unhealthiest places to live are in London, with Soho topping the nationwide list of shame, a new study reveals.
The central London area has the most takeaways, pubs, and off-licences, and a lack of parks and green spaces, according to researchers from the University of Liverpool. Their analysis of lifestyle and environmental measures also looked at factors such as levels of air pollution and access to health services.
At the other end of the scale, Great Torrington in North Devon is the healthiest place in the UK. The remaining places on the top ten healthy list are all located in rural Scotland.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
As Country Living notes: “Rural communities often have less access to health services but they fare better when it comes to outdoor space, quality of life and less unhealthy food and drink outlets.”
The study also found a strong socio-economic correlation, with 62% of people in the most deprived areas living within 0.62 miles of a fast-food outlet, compared with just 24% in the most affluent districts.
“The statistics reveal important insights about the concentration of certain amenities that may be damaging or promote health,” study leader Dr Mark Green, a senior lecturer in health geography, told The Guardian.
“For example, on average, individuals in Great Britain are just as close to a pub or bar as they are to their nearest GP.”
Green and his team hope the research findings will influence decision-making by both policymakers and ordinary Britons.
“These statistics reveal troubling issues with the neighbourhoods we live in and how they may be damaging in our health,” he added.
Anyone can find out how their local area rates by typing in their postcode or clicking on the map on the website of the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC), which aims to supply insight from data collected by business, local, and national government organisations.
Top ten unhealthiest places in the UK
1. Soho, Westminster
2. North Killingholme
3. Shotley Gate, Suffolk
4. St. Giles, Camden
5. Bank, City of London
6. Spitalfields, Tower Hamlets
7. Farringdon, Islington
8. Ottringham, East Riding
9. Finsbury, Islington
10. Barbican, City of London
Top ten healthiest places in the UK
1. Great Torrington, Devon
2. Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire
3. Fauldhouse, West Lothian
4. Foxbar, Renfrewshire
5. Marnoch, North Lanarkshire
6. Ryton, Gateshead
7. Ballingry, Fife
8. Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross
9. Kinghorn, Fife
10. Kilsyth Bogside, North Lanarkshire
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.