The healthiest and unhealthiest places in Cumbria have been revealed.
Specialists at the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) investigated well-being by monitoring pollution levels across Cumbria, as well as the number of green spaces that are easy to access.
The availability of health services, such as GP surgeries and pharmacies, and the number of takeaways, pubs and gambling shops were also considered.
Rural areas are likely to score low on the health index due to the distance from healthcare and open areas to keep fit and active.
An interactive map has now been created to display the findings.
The map tracks the CDRC's health index - also known as Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards (AHAH).
It takes into consideration a number of factors, including:
- Retail environment (access to fast food outlets, pubs, off-licences, tobacconists, gambling outlets)
- Health services (access to GPs, hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, leisure services)
- Physical environment (Blue Space, Green Space - Active, Green Space - Passive)
- Air quality (Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate Matter 10, Sulphur Dioxide).
Each of these factors is tracked and provides an overall AHAH score for that area.
The lower the score, the healthier the area is, with the healthiest areas appearing blue on the map.
The higher scores are represented with red and indicate the town is less healthy than its blue counterparts.
Areas are also ranked from one to ten; the healthiest areas are given a rank of one while the unhealthiest regions are classed as ten.
Unhealthiest areas of Cumbria
Unsurprisingly, town centres are the least healthy areas according to this map.
The outskirts of Carlisle, however, are some of the healthiest areas, as are many areas in South Lakeland.
Penrith centre is also in the lowest performing decile, however, as you venture further out this improves slightly.
The map is searchable via postcode, you can enter yours here to find out the health level of your area.
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