Focus on London - Health

FOCUSONLONDON2010:HEALTH:CHILDRENANDYOUNGPEOPLE

The health and wellbeing of London’s children and young people is fundamental to the health of the city. The recent Marmot Review of health inequalities noted that “What a child experiences during the early years lays down the foundation for the whole of their life.” The Mayor’s Health Inequality Strategy for London responds to this by challenging all partners in London to create “conditions that lead to better early years experiences”.

This chapter, authored by colleagues at the London Health Observatory, provides recent evidence on the health experience of children and young people in London. The report includes data about the Local Index of Child Wellbeing, infant mortality, breastfeeding, immunisation, injury, childhood obesity, physical activity, diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, teenage conceptions and sexual health. It reveals many areas of inequality within the city, but also highlights the ways in which London’s children are doing well.

REPORT:

Access the full report in PDF format

PRESENTATION:

This interactive presentation about children’s health in London looks into some of the factors that may have an effect on the high childhood obesity figures in London.

Access the presentation at Prezi.com

CHART:

This interactive scatterplot allows users to observe the relationship between some of the health indicators in the report with a selection of other socio-economic data for each of London’s 32 boroughs.

Scatterplot

RANKINGS:

An informative regional rankings scorecard has been created showing where London sits in relation to the other English regions on a number of indicators contained within the report.

Rankings

DATA:

All the data contained within the health report and used to create the scatterplot and rankings scorecard can be accessed in this spreadsheet.

FACTS:

Some interesting facts from the report…

● Five boroughs with highest teenage conception rates in 2008:

1. Lambeth – 71.5
2. Lewisham – 68.7
3. Southwark – 68.0
4. Greenwich – 66.7
5. Hackney and City of London – 61.5

-31. Richmond upon Thames – 23.6

-32. Harrow – 23.1

● The percentage of London women who smoke during pregnancy was lower than all other English regions, and around half the England average - one in 13 women in London and one in 7 nationally in 2008/09.

Other interesting facts from the Datastore…

● Five boroughs with the highest rates for children in Year 6 at risk of obesity 2008/09:

1. Southwark – 26.7%
2. Tower Hamlets – 25.7%
3. Lambeth – 25.3%
4. Newham – 24.6%
5. Barking and Dagenham – 24.2%

-31. Bromley – 16.0%

-32. Richmond-upon-Thames – 11.7%

● London has always had the lowest levels of children immunised by their second birthday against Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) compared with other regions (since regional data was first available in 1988/89).

Highest – 87 per cent (1995/96) Lowest – 70 per cent (2003/04) Now – 76 per cent (2008/09)

● Five boroughs with the highest rates of hospital admissions due to injury of children (0-17) 2008/09:

1. Hackney – 126.2
2. Tower Hamlets – 123.1
3. Hammersmith and Fulham – 117.7
4. Islington – 115.0
5. Waltham Forest – 112.5

-31. Richmond upon Thames – 63.4

-32. Kingston upon Thames – 40.2