New figures from the Office for National Statistics have offered a fascinating insight into how long people living in and around Gnosall can expect to live, and perhaps more importantly, how many of those years are likely to be spent in good health.
The newly published figures suggest that the wider Gnosall area enjoys some remarkably positive outcomes.
For men, estimated life expectancy at birth is 83.4 years, while for women it rises to 85.9 years.
But tucked away within the tables published a couple of weeks ago is arguably an even more interesting statistic...
Men in the area have a "healthy life" expectancy of 70.6 years, while for women it is 71.5 years.
In other words, the figures don't just suggesting people in our area live relatively long lives compared to other areas. They indicate that a substantial proportion of those lives is spent in good health too.
So, how healthy is the Gnosall area?
The ONS has looked at three slightly different measures.
Life expectancy estimates the total number of years someone could expect to live if current mortality rates continued.
Healthy life expectancy estimates how many of those years would be spent in good general health.
And disability-free life expectancy estimates the number of years someone could expect to live without a health condition or disability restricting their day-to-day activities.
For the wider Gnosall area, the figures are:
| Measure | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 83.4 years | 85.9 years |
| Healthy life expectancy | 70.6 years | 71.5 years |
| Disability-free life expectancy | 71.0 years | 70.3 years |
| Proportion of life in good health | 85% | 83% |
| Proportion of life disability-free | 85% | 82% |
The estimates cover the 5 year period from 2019 to 2023.
The figures paint an especially encouraging picture for men living in the wider area.
Male life expectancy is estimated at 83.4 years, with around 85% of life expected to be spent in good health.
Healthy life expectancy for men is 70.6 years, while disability-free life expectancy is slightly higher at 71 years.
Women, meanwhile, have a longer overall life expectancy of 85.9 years.
There is an interesting wrinkle in the figures, however...
Although women are estimated to live around 2.5 years longer than men, their healthy life expectancy is only around 9 months longer.
Women also have a slightly lower disability-free life expectancy than men: 70.3 years compared with 71 years.
It is a useful reminder that shows us living longer and living longer in good health aren't quite the same thing.
How does that compare with elsewhere?
This is where the figures become particularly interesting. The wider Gnosall area's healthy life expectancy is well above the middle of the range seen across English neighbourhoods.
According to the ONS, the median healthy life expectancy across England's Middle Layer Super Output Areas is 65.3 years for men and 66.8 years for women. Around Gnosall, the equivalent estimates are 70.6 and 71.5 years respectively.
That amounts to roughly five additional years of healthy life for men and approaching five for women compared with the median English neighbourhood. That's quite a big headline!
My analysis of the newly released tables also places the area towards the healthier end of Staffordshire.
That makes the figures rather more significant than simply saying that Gnosall happens to have a relatively long-lived population.
Is there something about living here?
The figures raise an intriguing question: why does the wider Gnosall area appear to perform so well?
There won't be one simple answer, because there are many possible factors and nuances involved. Health and longevity are influenced by a complicated mixture of income, housing, employment, education, environment, lifestyle, access to services and wider social circumstances.
Our rural surroundings and access to green space possibly forms part of that picture. So might our area's socio-economic characteristics, housing, patterns of employment and age profile.
And there is another factor that statistics struggle to capture: community.
Anyone living locally will know the vast number of clubs, societies, voluntary groups, sports organisations and community activities operating around Gnosall. It's something we are almost renowned for. It would be tempting to draw a connection between that social fabric and wellbeing, although these figures alone certainly can't prove one.
But what they can do is give us a starting point for asking the question.
One important geographical caveat
Before we become too carried away with the idea that there must be some life-enhancing magic in the Gnosall air, there is an important qualification.
These aren't figures solely for Gnosall parish itself.
The ONS data is published for areas known as Middle Layer Super Output Areas, or MSOAs. Gnosall sits within an MSOA officially called Stafford 015, so the statistics cover a wider population than the parish alone, and include Haughton. Figures for the Gnosall Parish itself are not available.
For that reason, throughout this article I've deliberately referred to the “wider Gnosall area” rather than claiming that these are Gnosall-only figures.
There is also some statistical uncertainty involved. For example, the ONS gives male life expectancy of 83.4 years with a 95% confidence interval of 81.5 to 85.2 years. For women, the 85.9-year estimate has an interval of 84.5 to 87.4 years.
These are estimates, not calibrated stopwatches.
What can we learn from it?
Perhaps that's where these new figures become most useful.
Rather than simply giving Gnosall another favourable statistic to put on the mantelpiece, they give us an opportunity to look more closely at what makes a healthy community.
Why do some parts of Staffordshire experience considerably more years of healthy life than others? What role do income, housing, environment and access to green space play?
Does rural living help? Does social connection matter? And are there things we already do well as a community that we should be working harder to preserve?
Over the coming weeks, Love Gnosall hopes to delve further into the figures, because they are fascinating (expecially to me!).
For now, the newly published statistics leave us with a quietly encouraging picture...
People living in the Gnosall area aren't simply enjoying relatively long lives. The evidence suggests they're enjoying a good many healthy years along the way, too.
Yet another reason to Love Gnosall!
Note: These figures don't relate precisely to Gnosall parish. ONS publishes this data for Middle Layer Super Output Areas (MSOAs). Gnosall sits within Stafford 015, an area covering Gnosall, Haughton and surrounding communities, so the figures should be regarded as a picture of the wider local area.
