2021 Health Profiles provide snapshot of health in the East Midlands

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID), East Midlands, has published its Health Profiles, East Midlands report which provides a comprehensive look at the state of the region’s health. 

It presents a range of population health data, such as smoking and obesity as well as providing an early summary of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on many aspects of health and health inequalities.
The profiles are designed to provide local government and health organisations with data to discuss how to tackle these issues, working together to improve population health and are available online for every local authority in England.

Janine Dellar, Associate Director, Local Knowledge and Intelligence Service, East Midlands, said: “These profiles provide significant data at a very local level to help shape the way partners improve the health of people in their local communities. This year’s report also provides a look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on peoples health and wellbeing and life expectancy as a whole.”

During the pandemic, there has been an increase in risk factors for ill health. This is particularly evident in a person’s mental wellbeing which show concerning trends over the pandemic, with increases in self-reported anxiety, low mood, and satisfaction among the region’s population.

Beyond the immediate impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic there is an underlying story in the East Midlands of widening health inequalities, increasing risk factors, a reduction in access to services which all of are disproportionately felt by the most vulnerable people in East Midlands communities.

The report also highlights that inequalities exist in all places across the East Midlands whether they are urban, industrial, rural, or coastal communities. The city areas of Leicester, Nottingham and Derby are significantly more deprived than average with 1 in 5 people living in an area classed as income deprived and more than 1 in 4 children living in poverty.

The East Midlands also has significantly higher rates of hypertension, obesity and smoking than the England average.