THE health of people living in Malvern is better than the average for the rest of England but they are more likely to be injured or die on the roads, according to a national report.

People in Malvern are healthier than people in Worcester and the average for the rest of England ,according to the nationwide health profiles published by the Department of Health.

Health is also improving, with early deaths from heart attacks, strokes and cancer falling, as in the rest of England.

Malvern is more affluent than Worcester with just 2.1 per cent of the 74,300 population (1,545 people) living in deprivation compared with 16.8 per cent (15,672 people) in Worcester and 20 per cent in England. Malvern Hills district also has lower levels of children in poverty, homelessness and violent crime, more physically active children and adults, more over 65s in good heath and fewer infant deaths.

The report highlighted danger on the roads with 74 road injuries and deaths per 100,000 people, higher than the England average of 54.

Another concern is hip fractures among people aged more than 65 – 133 suffered a broken hip in Malvern (2006/07) and had to be admitted to hospital (a rate of 593 hospital admissions per 100,000 people, well above the 480 England average).

Dr Richard Harling, director of public health at NHS Worcestershire, said: “The report shows that health in Malvern is better than the average for England and has been improving.

“However, it also confirms that the big challenge to health in the district is from lifestyles – every month seven people die from smoking while one in six adults continues to smoke. One quarter of the adult population and one in 12 children are obese and 70 adults are admitted every month to hospital with alcohol-related illnesses. The district also has a problem with falls and hip fractures in older people.”

NHS Worcestershire and Worcestershire Partnership have created Health Improvement and Community Leadership for Health funds to try to improve things.

Dr Harling said: “The county has an active falls strategy which includes exercise classes to improve strength and balance in older people, action to reduce trip hazards in homes and other residential environments and optimum management of long term conditions to prevent blackouts and dizzy spells.”

There were 41 teenage pregnancies in women under the age of 18 for every 1,000 (2005-07), a figure which was slightly less than the average for the rest of England and much lower than in Worcester where the figure is 47.

There are pockets of deprivation in Malvern and a divide between the quality and length of people’s lives in different parts of the area.

Men from the most affluent areas can expect to live eight and a half years longer than people in deprived areas.

Fewer people in Malvern smoke than in the rest of England and fewer people die as a result of smoking.

There were only eight incidents of violent crime for every 1,000 people (2007/08), well below the England average (18 incidents) and the 21 in Worcester.

Malvern is one of the better parts of the country for levels of physical activity among children (2007/08) – 98 per cent of five to 16-year-olds who spent at least two hours a week on high quality physical education and sport. The average is 90 per cent and the lowest 78 per cent.