Why Living in the Valleys is Bad for Your Health

South Wales has been named as the unhealthiest region in Britain.

Eight of the 10 worst areas for diet, lifestyle and disease are in South Wales, with Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil all named and shamed. ‘Eight out of 10 sickest UK regions are in South Wales’: The South Wales Valleys have been named the unhealthiest area of Britain.

Merthyr Tydfil topped the 10 worst regions in a survey of the UK for bad diets, unhealthy lifestyles and levels of sickness.

And Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend were all designated as having serious existing health problems.

The researchers who compiled the HEALTHacorn survey said the authorities were home to high numbers of older and disadvantaged people with high rates of smoking, obesity, poor diets and serious medical problems.

And local health workers admitted that changing these long- standing problems would take a long time through education and new laws like raising the age of buying cigarettes to 18 and banning smoking in public places.

Keith Reynolds, the chief officer of the Merthyr and Cynon Valley Community Health Council, said: ‘This finding doesn’t surprise me. It just confirms research that has been carried out of many years.

‘It is going to be a long time before we are able to say measures being put in place bear fruit.’

And Merthyr council leader Harvey Jones agreed this problem would not be solved overnight. ‘All you can do is keep chipping away,’ he said.

Win Griffiths, chairman of Bridgend’s Bro Morgannwg NHS Trust and former Bridgend MP, said the former mining areas in the Valleys suffered from a legacy of industrial disease and poor housing.

He said: ‘I think firstly the historic issue of traditional heavy industry such as mining is a big factor in ill health.

‘Then on top of that you have a history of poor housing despite the fact lots of effort has been made to improve the housing stock.

Mr Griffiths added that work was being carried out by the Welsh Assembly Government through Health Challenge Wales to break the cycle of bad health but said it would take ‘significant efforts over a long period of time’.

Margaret Thomas, 71, a volunteer for the Heartwise group for former heart attack victims in Caerphilly, said local health workers were doing their best.

Ms Thomas, who had a heart attack at the age of 58, said: ‘Over the last decade there has been a lot of work and effort by the NHS, health workers and volunteers to improve things for people living in villages which are out on a limb in the Valleys.’

The Welsh Assembly Government was not available for comment.

(c) 2007 South Wales Echo. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.