Shock as Shropshire town named worst in England for asthma

The data, released by the House of Commons library, reveals that Whitchurch has the joint highest rate of asthma incidences in England, with 9.3 per cent of the population being registered with the condition – compared to a national average of 5.9 per cent.

The town also has joint fourth highest obesity rate in the country, with 20.7 per cent of patients having been diagnosed with the condition, more than double the national average rate of 9.7 per cent.

Church Stretton has the second worst rate for high blood pressure in the country, with 25.7 per cent of people having been diagnosed. This is almost double the national average rate of 13.8 per cent.

The Sutton Hill area of Telford also had the fifth highest rate of residents suffering from depression, with 18.9 per cent of patients suffering from the condition compared to a national average of 9.8 per cent.

Elsewhere in the West Midlands, the Wall Heath area of Dudley was identified as a hotspot for dementia, with 2.3 per cent of the population being diagnosed with the condition, compared to a national average of 0.8 per cent.

Neighbourhoods

Kidderminster town centre also made the top 10 areas for depression, 18.3 per cent suffering the condition.

The figures relate to patients registered with a GP and identified as having the condition in question, so may in some cases underestimate of the number of people living with the illness.

The 'small area' data breaks the figures down by neighbourhoods of between 7,000 and 10,000 inhabitants.

Looking at the figures by parliamentary constituency, Shrewsbury and Atcham has the worst asthma rate in the West Midlands, at 7.3 per cent, while Ludlow is worst for dementia at 1.3 per cent.

Walsall North does worst for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), at 2.8 per cent, Wyre Forest has the worst rate for depression (16.2 per cent), and Stourbridge is the blackspot for high blood pressure (19.2 per cent). Obesity is highest in Dudley South, at 15.6 per cent, while Birmingham Hodge Hill has the highest diabetes rate at 10.6 per cent.

Population make-up a factor in figures

A Shropshire health expert has said the population make-up of the area is likely to be a major reason for high incidences of illness in some of the county's towns.

Mr Thomson, who is Shropshire Council’s director of public health, said age was likely to be a major factor in the figures.

He said: “Each of our market towns have different population profiles that can influence the prevalence of some conditions.

"High blood pressure, for example, is often age-related and towns such as Church Stretton have a higher proportion of older people than the national average."

Mr Thomson said the council's public health team was working hard to promote healthier living.

He said the council worked with GPs to offer free health screening checks for anybody over the age of 40.

Advice

"This provides an opportunity to identify health problems and commence interventions at an earlier stage," he said.

Mr Thomson said the council also ran a slimming programme which offered targeted advice to individuals with weight problems.

He added: “Obesity is a problem nationally and is a major cause of illness in later life.

"Encouraging people to eat less and move more are key measures to reduce the problem of obesity."

He said the council was working with school-age children to promote healthier weights.

“Across Shropshire we are promoting a range of activities to enable people to adopt healthier lifestyles, working with partners such as Energize, the county sports partnership,” he said.