HEALTH inequalities in York are responsible for 76 deaths a year in the city and the rich-poor divide is widening, new research has revealed.

Studies of the impact of poverty in the city have found that the most deprived ten per cent of York’s population will have an average life expectancy six and a half years lower than those in the most affluent areas. The gulf is ten years for men and 3.6 years for women.

York is England’s fourth least-deprived city, but about 13,000 people – seven per cent – live in communities classed as among the most deprived 20 per cent in the country, according to the new Joint Strategic Needs Assessment drawn up by City of York Council.

The report also found children born in poorer parts of York were far more likely than others to be born underweight, making them more susceptible to heart problems in later life.

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, York’s director of public health, said: “On the whole, residents in York can expect a good standard of life, but evidence suggests poverty is on the increase.

“The links between poverty and health are clear and there are still significant health and wellbeing challenges for the city. It is vital we work to reduce health inequalities and increase our early intervention work, to enable all children, young people and future generations to have the most healthy start in life and prevent poor health later in life.”

The council will outline its plans for tackling poverty in June. One key aim is to reduce the stigma of deprivation surrounding many residents who are on the breadline.

The Press launched its own Stamp Out Poverty campaign late last year to help raise awareness of the problems facing many and to help bridge the gap between rich and poor.

York’s most poverty-stricken areas are Westfield, Guildhall, Clifton, Heworth and Hull Road.

The council document said the “mortality” gap between the most-deprived fifth of York’s population and other residents had widened and, in 2010, mortality among the city’s poorest residents was 55 per cent higher than the rest of York, with heart disease and lung cancer, due to links between smoking and deprivation, being the main factors.

The report said 7.9 per cent of babies born in York’s poorest areas between 2006 and 2010, the last period for which data is available, had a low birth weight, of less than 2,500g (about 5lb 8oz).

The city-wide average is 6.5 per cent, and the assessment said babies with a low birth weight were at greater risk of heart problems in adulthood.

Dr Edmondson-Jones said initiatives were being developed to target health resources where they were most needed, improve access to health services, support community schemes and promote healthy living, as well as to help people “make informed choices” about their health and lifestyles.

NHS North Yorkshire and York’s public health annual report for 2011 said health inequalities across the area were “easily masked by the overall picture of affluence”.

It said while assumptions may exist that North Yorkshire and York had been “relatively cushioned” from the worst of the recession, health experts believed the economic downturn had led to changes in the region’s health, with an increase in antidepressants being prescribed and “some evidence” of a rise in mental-health hospital admissions.