The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Girls born in South Holland within the last couple of years can expect to live almost two years longer than those born just five years before.
New figures show that life expectancy for a baby girl born in the district today stands at 83.3 years, compared to 81.5 years for those born between 2006 and 2008.
But boys do not fare quite as well – with those born between 2011 and 2013 expected to live to the age of 79.7.
But male life expectancy is also rising, up from 78.2 for those born between 2006 and 2008.
The latest life expectancy figures were released last week and show that the rise in South Holland mirrors a national trend.
But there are some wide variations across areas of the country, where levels of deprivation affect people’s health.
Nationally, in 2011–13, life expectancy for newborn baby boys was highest in South Cambridgeshire (83 years) – 8.7 years longer than in Blackpool with the lowest (74.3 years).
For newborn baby girls, life expectancy was highest in Chiltern (86.4 years); – 6.4 years longer than in Manchester with the lowest (80 years).
South Holland’s life expectancy is broadly in line with the county-wide picture for Lincolnshire, which is 79.2 years for boys and 83 for girls.
Addressing the variation in life expectancy across the county is a key health inequality issue.
The health inequalities data released by the Office for National Statistics indicates that not only do people from more deprived areas have a lower life expectancy but they also spend more years suffering from a disability.
Factors affecting life expectancy include social, economic and demographic indicators, including income, social class, occupation and parental occupation, level of education, housing condition, neighbourhood quality, geographic region, gender and ethnicity.
