The great happiness divide across Brighton and Hove

When asked in a health survey last year, 83% of people in the Rottingdean Coast ward area said they were happy.

This was significantly higher than the 72% average for the city as a whole and the national average of 71%.

However, at the other end of the scale, just 63% in Brunswick and Adelaide were in a cheerful frame of mind.

There were also differences when people were asked whether they felt the things they did were worthwhile.

Just 60% of people in Queen’s Park who responded to that question felt that they were, compared to the city’s average of 74%.

But this falls short of the 80% of people in Hangleton and Knoll and Hove Park who felt the same way.

It is this discrepancy, or “inequality”, that public health teams are trying to tackle, but if these figures are to be believed there is a lot of work to do.

In the latest annual public health report for Brighton and Hove published this week, experts say feeling happy and satisfied is an important part of a person’s overall health and wellbeing.

Factors that contribute to this happiness include diet and exercise, while education, employment, housing, finances, the environment, neighbours, friends and sense of community all play their part.

So why is Rottingdean performing better than Brunswick and Adelaide in the happiness stakes?

The hustle and bustle of Western Road has been likened to the busy streets of London.

The old town houses are grand and well-kept for the most part but there is more than meets the eye as pockets of poverty still remain within the area.

For residents of Brunswick and Adelaide, the news that people living in the ward are the unhappiest in Brighton and Hove comes as a bit of a surprise.

Craig Doporto, 22, of Brunswick Place, said: “It surprises me that Brunswick is not as happy. I would have thought other parts of Brighton would be a bit unhappier.

“But I suppose my neighbours are not very talkative. If my flatmates and I smile or say hi they won’t really say anything back and keep themselves to themselves.

“I think this area is quite like London, so you don’t get that sense of community really because people are just busy going about their day to day lives.”

Fiona Bray, 19, works in The Chocolate Workshop, on Western Road.

She said: “It’s a nice area but while you have parts like Brunswick Square which look really nice and are well-kept, there are other parts which are poorer, so maybe that’s why people aren’t as happy or satisfied here.

“There are a lot of homeless people around here and people with drug problems as well.

“The shop owners near here are nice but if you go down the road a bit you don’t really find people speak to you.”

At the other end of the spectrum is the village of Rottingdean where 83% of residents are happy with their lifestyle.

Steeped in history, the quaint seaside village boasts, among others, Rudyard Kipling as a former resident.

Julia-Ann Kelleher, 74, has lived in Rottingdean since 2006 and has recently started volunteering at the Grange Museum and Art Gallery on High Street, Rottingdean.

She said: “Rottingdean is lovely and relaxed, very easy going. A lot of people here are retired.

“It is near to Brighton so we can go there easily or we can come back from the hub and bub as it’s quieter here – it’s a very good location to be in.

“It is one of the nicest villages to live in along the south coast.

“There is a huge sense of community here, particularly from the church.

Everywhere is so well-kept and the pavements are red brick – people are very proud to live here.

“We get lots of visitors come to the coffee shop or to the art gallery and the history, particularly Rudyard Kipling, is a great pull for visitors.”

Karl Baker, 40, works as the assistant manager at the Plough Inn and said the village had a real community feel to it.

He added: “You walk along the street and people say good morning to you and people look out for each other here.

“I think it’s a great place for young families as you’ve got the beach and the South Downs on your doorstep.

“There is just such a relaxed way of life – it really is a lovely place to live.”

City public health consultant Max Kammerling says there is increasing evidence which shows the links between positive emotions, happiness and our state of health, and there was a strong moral, wellbeing and economic case for making people happier.

He said: “In childhood, ‘toxic stress’ like neglect, poor living accommodation, violence, or living alone with a parent suffering severe mental illness can affect the developing brain and other organ systems, which can lead to a faster heart rate, higher blood pressure and a rise in stress hormones.

“In adults, anxiety or depression increases the risk of dying in people with heart disease.”

The report says public health teams and the city council are working with the NHS, Sussex Police, local charities and other organisations to try to close the gap between different parts of the city.

They believe helping to tackle situations that can lead to negative emotions, for example money problems or noisy neighbours, can affect the choices that people make such as smoking, diet, alcohol and sexual behaviour.

Research also shows that residents in more affluent wards typically have higher levels of satisfaction with their local area while more people in deprived areas are reporting poorer health.

Deprived areas also tend to have higher numbers of smokers, people exercise less and they have more problems with obesity.

This is reflected in the difference in life expectancy between the poorest and most affluent parts of Brighton and Hove – 10.6 years for men and 6.6 years for women.

Director of public health Tom Scanlon said he expected the findings of the survey and the annual report will spark further debate.

He said: “Does happiness make us healthier, bring more life satisfaction?

Who amongst us in Brighton and Hove is happiest and why?

“We do have lots of questions but only some of the answers.

“We all want to be happy, so I have no doubt that we have selected a subject matter for this annual report that will interest many.”

DEPRESSION

GP patient registers show a higher prevalence of depression in Brighton and Hove; 13% compared to 12% across England.

Of the 1,991 residents who completed a questionnaire, 38% were identified as at higher risk.

This doesn’t mean that 38% of our residents are clinically depressed, but it does suggest that over a third of adults in Brighton and Hove may be vulnerable to the condition.

SELF HARM

One in ten adults (aged 18 or over) in the Health Counts survey reported that they had previously deliberately selfharmed.

The hospital admission rate for self-harm in Brighton & Hove is 50% higher than it is for England.

The number of young people under 18 admitted to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital following selfharm increased from 65 in 2009 to 121 in 2012.

The number of residents aged 18 or over attending A&E because of self-harm rose from 1,278 in 2005/6 to 1,754 in 2011/12, a 37% increase.

HEALTH FOR ALL

Residents seem to be getting healthier: with 23% saying their health has improved in the previous year compared with 18% who say their health has deteriorated.

The proportion of men and women aged 75 years or over reporting their health is 'good or better' falls to 54%.

Some 92% of residents of Rottingdean Coastal ward and 93% of residents of Hove Park ward reporting 'good or better health'. This compares with just 72% of those living in East Brighton and in Hangleton and Knoll wards.

YOUNG PEOPLE – ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

In 2012, 21% of 14 to 16 year olds and 65% of 11 to 14 year olds reported that they had never tried an alcoholic drink.

During the last three years, the proportion of young people who say they have never tried alcohol has increased.

However percentage of children who drink to get drunk is rising.

Around three quarters of 14 to 16 year olds have reported that they have never tried unprescribed drugs.

Cannabis was the most common drug used.

ADULTS – ALCOHOL AND DRUGS

Some 13% of adults never drink alcohol, 27% drink less than once a week, and a further 28% only drink once or twice a week.

However, a significant proportion of residents admit to drinking above safe limits: 18% of men, and 17% of women drink above the recommended levels (21 or more units or more for a man and 14 or more units for a woman).

The latest drugrelated death rate (2011) fell from a peak of 33 per 100,000 of the population in 2000 to just nine per 100,000 last year.

This has seen the city moved from first to eighth place in the UK ‘drug death table’.

Some 10% of people said they had taken drugs in the last four weeks, while 60% of people answered that they had never taken drugs.

SMOKING

14% of people smoke every day and a further 9% smoke occasionally.

There has been a large fall since 2003 when 20% of local residents were daily smokers and 8% were occasional smokers.

The prevalence of smoking in adults varies considerably across the city from 13% in Withdean to 35% in East Brighton.

The figures are, however, still above the national average and in Brighton & Hove there is a higher rate of deaths linked to smoking than there is nationally.

ACTIVITY

Some 24% of adults in the city are meting recommended levels of physical exercise per week (at least 150 minutes of moderate activity). This is a rise from 15% in 2003.

However, this still means that three quarters are not taking enough exercise.

The wards with the highest levels of physical activity are Regency and Moulsecoomb and Bevendean.

HOUSING

As the national supply of social housing has decreased, the health needs of people living in social housing has increased.

Some 43% of local residents living in council or housing association properties reported 'fair or poor' health, compared to 14% of residents living in owner occupied or private/ rented housing.

EDUCATION

Research shows that inequalities in education affect physical and mental health, as well as income, employment and quality of life.

Some 8% of adult residents with no qualifications report that their health is only 'fair or poor' compared to just 8% of those with a university degree or higher.