THE life expectancy of women from birth in the former South Lakeland district area has dropped slightly, according to the latest figures. 

A new Office of National Statistics report has compiled life expectancy figures for all of the UK except Scotland. 

The figures are based on the number of deaths registered and mid-year population estimates, aggregated over three consecutive years. The data series started in the 1980s. 

The male life expectancy from birth is 80.4 years for 2020-22, and the female life expectancy from birth is 84.4 years. 

Male life expectancy has risen slightly from the previous data point 2019-2021, which was 80.3 years. 

For women though, it has dropped from 84.7 years. 

In the last decade, male life expectancy in the area has decreased from 80.7 years in 2011-13. Despite the recent drop, overall women are living longer in the South Lakes than previously. In 2011-13 female life expectancy was 83.81 years, which bucks the trend of many northern towns including neighbouring Barrow.

READ MORE: 2021 Census shows rise of people living in South Lakeland

Barrow had the joint biggest drop in life expectancy for women in England with Bolsover in Derbyshire. Life expectancy of women from birth in the town dropped by 1.8 years between 2011-13 and 2020-22. 

Andrew Bennett is the director of population health for the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, which administers NHS services in the area. 

He said: "We are working closely with local partners to focus on both short-term and long-term improvements in the health of our residents.

“We understand that people’s life expectancy can be influenced by their access to health services and health behaviours, such as smoking, diet, physical activity, alcohol, and substance misuse. 

"We know that the building blocks for good health and life expectancy are shaped by a number of social and economic factors, such as income levels, job opportunity, educational attainment and poverty levels. They also include physical factors such as the quality of housing, air pollution and access to green spaces." 

The ONS clarified that a fall in life expectancy does not mean that a baby born between 2020 and 2022 will go on to live a shorter life than one born in earlier periods.

The average lifespan of a person is determined by changes in mortality rates across their lifetime, meaning that if rates improve, life expectancy will go back up, the office said. 

The statistics are based on the old district council areas before the unified Westmorland and Furness Council came into power on April 1 2023. 

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