Men’s health: A correlation between the gender gap and deprivation?

Men’s health examined. Data shows link between deprivation and gap between male and female life expectancies. (Image: shutterstock.com)

Looking specifically at London, the Bureau has listed wards using their rank on the Index of Deprivation scale 2010, UK Census. The Bureau then included the latest life expectancy statistics for each ward. The Bureau then picked out those wards which place highly on the deprivation scale (ie most deprived) that also have an 8.2 or more year difference between men and women’s life expectancy (twice the national average of 4.1 years).

We found that there was a general correlation between the ward’s deprivation and the gap between men and women’s life expectancy. In particular, the following 22 wards (of 623) stood out. The borough in which the ward falls is listed alongside.

Ward Borough Rank on Index of Deprivation (1 = most deprived, 628 = least deprived) Men’s life expectancy(2003-2007 figures) Gap (years) between men and women’s life expectancy
Northumberland Park Haringey 1 71.5 9.07
Canning Town South Newham 5 73.8 9.06
Stonebridge Brent 6 73.5 10.62
Bromley-by-Bow Tower Hamlets 10 74.1 9.44
Tottenham Green Haringey 12 71.3 8.73
Queen’s Park Brent 15 74.9 8.61
Haggerston Hackney 29 73.2 8.47
Victoria Hackney 38 75.7 10.42
West Green Haringey 41 74.6 8.32
Bow East Tower Hamlets 53 72.6 8.29
College Park and Old Oak Hammersmith & Fulham 58 74.2 10.12
Harrow Road Westminster 75 77.1 8.8
Woodside Haringey 76 74.7 8.69
Whitechapel Tower Hamlets 77 72.8 9.02
Vassal Lambeth 95 73.2 8.8
St Pancras and Somers Town Camden 96 72.3 9.27
Stoke Newington Central Hackney 109 74.7 10.39

 

Lower down the deprivation scale, but with notable differences in life expectancy, are:

Ward Borough Rank on Index of Deprivation (1 = most deprived, 628 = least deprived) Men’s life expectancy(2003-2007 figures) Gap (years) between men and women’s life expectancy
Cathedrals Southwark 195 73.7 12.72
Little Venice Westminster 250 79.5 10.47
Addison Hammersmith & Fulham 264 77.2 10.07
Fulham Reach Hammersmith & Fulham 305 79.5 10.10
Stroud Green Haringey 316 75.7 10.77

 

Mapping the data
The graph below shows male life expectancies for all London wards, ranked on the x-axis by the ward’s listing on the 2010 Index of Deprivation (London Census). The most deprived ward is closest to the y-axis.

While the correlation is relatively weak, the graph does show that there is a link between deprivation and male life expectancy – in many highly deprived wards, male life expectancy is dramatically affected, whereas female life expectancy is not.