PEOPLE living in some parts of Winchester are expected to live four years longer than those in other parts of the city, according to a Governmentfunded report.

Winchesters Health Profile 2008 showed that people living in the Compton and Otterbourne areas can expect to live four years longer than those in the St John and All Saints wards, which includes Highcliffe andWinnall.

In Compton and Otterbourne, life expectancy is 81 for men and 85 for women, whereas men living in St John ward, and the All Saints ward Stanmore can expect to live to 77, and women to 81.

Similarly, those living in Bishops Waltham, one of the least deprived areas in the district, can expect to live four years longer than their neighbours in Wickham, Curdridge and Durley.

Ernie Nunn has lived in Stanmore nearly all of his life, and said he thought life expectancy was down to personal choices and luck.

He said: Im 84 now and I have no ailments at all, but someone else nearby whos 20 years younger might have them I think a lot of it is luck and its all about fresh air, work and walking.

Possibly in the town theres more pollution compared to the country air further away from the city centre.

Cllr Richard Oldham, chairman of Otterbourne Parish Council, said: Otterbourne is a very pleasant place to live, people come to retire here and are very relaxed about life.

Im sure the differences are something to do with socio-economic background it goes with the national trend that people in higher socio-economic groups tend to have more means to take care of themselves.

Chris Perry, director of Age Concern Hampshire, agreed there was a clear correlation between socio-economic groups and life expectancy.

He said: People from higher paid occupations tend to live longer because even though everyone has access to NHS healthcare, people with more income can afford to live healthily for instance, buying healthy food and having better living conditions.

Dr Christine Jackson, area director of public health for Hampshire PCT, said: Life expectancy in Hampshire is currently higher than the national average 79.4 years compared to 77.3 nationally for men, and 82.9 years compared to 81.6 nationally for women.

We know there is a fouryear life expectancy difference between the most deprived and least deprived areas within Winchester, yet generally life expectancy here is still above the national and Hampshire averages.

She added: There is a newly-established Health and Well-being Partnership for the Winchester area, bringing together all the agencies that have a role to play in improving health and reducing health inequalities.

The plans led by the partnership, targets projects and services that help to reduce the major causes of death and disability, including the Quit4Life stop smoking services, and increasing opportunities for healthy eating and exercise.

However, the instances of smoking in pregnancy and binge drinking adults in Winchester came close to the national average.

ñ WINCHESTER has one of the lowest number of smokers in the South East, according to a report by South East Public Health Observatory.

The city came in way below the south east average for the number of residents lighting up, and also fell below the average for all cities in England, Wales and Scotland.

Winchester also has one of the lowest rates of mortality due to smoking, with an estimated 151 deaths per year due to the habit, compared to the England average of 225.

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