Public health is everyone’s responsibility and we must all play a role in tackling healthy life expectancy in North East Lincolnshire by becoming public health leaders.
That is the view of Diane Lee, Director of Public Health in North East Lincolnshire, who today releases her first annual report, entitled ‘Our Health…Our Place.’
Her report highlights the fact that access to health care, such as GPs and hospitals, plays only a 20% role in healthy life expectancy, the remaining 80% is determined by our having good homes, good jobs and friends.
She says there are eight determining factors in ‘what makes us healthy’ and everyone in North East Lincolnshire – residents, business, schools and the local authority – has a part to play in improving these.
The food we eat has a huge role to play, particularly in the high obesity rates in the region, says the report, and to change that we have to change the food environment that we have created.
“To improve people’s health we have to give them better choices and promote good food right across the borough,” said Diane.
Money and resources determine how we can live a better life. Diane says not having enough money to live our daily lives leads to severe mental distress.
“Having enough money is closely linked to health inequalities and the stress caused by too little money can lead to long term health conditions.”
The report highlights housing as crucial to good health, but Diane says it is not enough just to provide a roof over our heads.
“A home needs to be affordable, warm, safe and stable,” she said. “Home insecurity is very bad both for our physical and mental health. Cold homes lead to health conditions such as respiratory illnesses and, in particular, can impact the health of young children”.
Education and skills, says the report, play a huge role in the health of our children.
“Our schools are much more than just a place to learn,” she said. “For many children they are a place to build confidence, resilience, dreams and ambitions.
“We need to do more for our children. Covid has left what some are calling a ‘scarred generation’ of young people who now more than ever need extra support,” she said.
Connection through transport is vital to healthy living, says the report. It helps us to visit important places in our lives, such as GPs, hospitals and family and friends. But Diane says ‘active travel’ such as walking and cycling is equally important to build healthier life expectancy.
“I see more people walking and cycling around the borough and we do have some great routes for this in North East Lincolnshire, but we still need to do more,” she said.
Good work is also an important determinant of good health. Diane’s report says that it is not enough just to provide a job. Employers need to provide good working environments because good work is good for health, bad work is not.
“People benefit significantly from having good jobs, but a good working environment in which they feel valued, supported and appreciated plays a big role in that.”
Finally, Diane says, that our surroundings are very important to our overall health.
“Green spaces, clean air, safe spaces to relax in, and good facilities all contribute to enjoying our down time and improving our overall health,” she said.
She concludes: “We are all public health leaders and we can only create a healthy population in North East Lincolnshire by working more closely together.
“The public health team cannot do it alone, and we would really like to hear from employers and anyone who works in the areas highlighted in my report to bring us all together to tackle the inequalities in health in our region and help us to improve healthy life expectancy for everyone in North East Lincolnshire.”
Cllr Stan Shreeve, North East Lincolnshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, said: “I want to thank Diane for this report and how it aligns with our council plan. We are aware of the many issues affecting public health in our region and work is underway in so many areas to counter these.
“Our health is our most precious asset. It affects our lives in so many ways, but as a council we are conscious of the fact that being born into deprivation does not have to dictate the rest of your life.
“In North East Lincolnshire we are all working together to understand how we can better design our interventions to make a positive impact on health and wellbeing in our community, and to make a difference to the lives and living standards of all of our residents, and particularly those suffering from inequality and deprivation.”
Read Diane’s full report here: https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/assets/uploads/2024/07/DPH-Annual-Report-2023.pdf
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