North - South divide at the heart of the matter (again)

Examining Clinical and Health Outcomes Knowledge Base data from 2009 on coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, cholesterol charity Heart UK has found a marked divide in between North and South. While this is not exactly news, it's the basis of Heart UK's new Heart Hotspots campaign and is supported by a survey conducted by ICS that suggests that even people with cardiovascular disease symptoms like high blood pressure or high cholesterol are not overly concerned about heart health. As well as the North-South divide, the data also shows wide variations within cities, even in the South. A study in from a team at the University of Oxford's Public Health Department confirms the survey view insofar as it links unhealthy lifestyle with CHD mortality when examining small geographic areas (ward level). The same team has also looked at how far relative deprivation is associated with CHD mortality, finding that "income inequality of an area has an impact on individual-level health outcome."