Kevin Dixon: Knowing your numbers

Life expectancy in Brixham, Paignton and Torquay is now 78 years for men and 83 years for women. 

However, in 2023 about 410 men and 405 women died before reaching those ages.  

In 2023 there were 221 deaths of Torbay residents aged under 75 from causes considered preventable - 142 men and 79 women. 

You probably know someone whose life has ended prematurely.  Maybe a friend, a relative or a neighbour. 

If this loss of life was happening as a result of a natural disaster or a criminal act, it would cause a national uproar. 

It’s not as if we don’t mostly know who, why, and even where, these deaths are taking place. 

After cancers, the number one killer is cardiovascular disease, often known as CVD.  The deaths of 1 in 4 local residents aged 50-74 are from CVD.  

Cardiovascular disease is an umbrella term for conditions that affect our heart or blood vessels. It includes high blood pressure, coronary heart disease (blocked arteries or heart failure), and stroke. 

Not only is CVD a significant cause of premature death, it also leads in many cases to disability and a loss of independence. 

We also have a stark contrast across the Bay’s communities in how healthy we are, with CVD being one of the main reasons. On average men who live in our most deprived areas live 10-years less than those in our wealthier wards; for women it’s a 5-year gap. Residents in these deprived areas, such as central Paignton and Torquay, are five times more likely to die early from heart disease. 

There’s a range of reasons why we live longer in some places than others. Our diet and lifestyle have a direct impact on our heart health, and where we live can in turn affect what we eat and whether we are physically active.     

 Indeed, because of the Bay’s history, culture and economy our three towns have characteristics that make tackling preventable illnesses such as CVD even more urgent. Foremost is that Torbay’s economy is ranked among the weakest in the nation and inequalities have been widening. 

The median annual wage in our three towns is £27,116, the third lowest in Britain. In contrast, Devon’s best-paid workers are in Exeter, just 24 miles away, where the wage is £7,000 higher than it is in the Bay. 

Low incomes can mean not being able to afford nutritional food, living in poor housing and not being able to heat our home, all of which can lead to stress and mental health problems. Some of us have little time for exercise or leisure and may use alcohol or tobacco for relief. 

Another cause of the high incidence of CVD in the Bay is a consequence of one of our greatest achievements. We are now living far longer than we used to and CVD is very common in older people. 

For much of human history average life expectancy was about thirty years of age. During the nineteenth century only around half of people born made it past their fiftieth birthday. Even during the 1950s life expectancy was only 66 for men and 70 for women. 

This remarkable increase can be attributed to improvements in public health, nutrition and medicine. Vaccinations and antibiotics have greatly reduced deaths in childhood, while health and safety in workplaces have improved and now fewer people smoke. 

As an area that attracts the retired, we have an older age profile than other parts of the UK.  Our average age is 49 years compared with 40 years across England.  Within a decade it is predicted that one in three Torbay residents will be 65 or over; this is already the case in Wellswood, Churston, Galmpton, Furzeham, and Summercombe. 

Cardiovascular disease has always been with us; Egyption mummies have been found with the condition. But for centuries there was little that could be done to treat someone with a heart attack or stroke. Our understanding was limited until the beginning of the twentieth century when medication became available and then in the 1960s came surgery to restore blood flow to the heart. 

We’re also learning more about the interplay between genetics and environmental factors in the development of heart disease, hopefully before it even starts. So we expect procedures to become less invasive, diagnoses will become even more precise, and better medications will be developed. 

While these are certainly welcome advances, prevention is always better than cure.  We have a good idea of what causes CVD: high blood pressure and high cholesterol, smoking, alcohol and excess weight, are all contributors, and all are linked to our lifestyle. 

The good news is that we can make changes that reduce our risks and there are simple things we can all be doing today. 

In Torbay, 18% of adults smoke; in England’s it’s 15%. Smoking narrows blood vessels increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke; smokers should quit or switch to vapes.  

Regular excessive alcohol use (too much, or too much in one go) increases the risk of serious health conditions, not just heart disease and stroke but liver, bowel, and breast cancers while also damaging the brain. 

In the latest year, 64% of local adults are overweight or obese, and 26% are obese.  Being overweight is, of course, linked to diet and a lack of physical activity. 

Diets with high levels of fatty foods can increase the risk of high cholesterol which can cause our blood vessels to narrow. High levels of salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure and put additional strain on our blood vessels, heart and other organs. A diet including high amounts of fruit, vegetables, legumes, and fish is associated with lower risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease.  

30% of Torbay adults are not physically active. That means doing around 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week, perhaps walking or cycling. We know that consistent moderate physical activity lowers blood pressure and improves cholesterol. 

In Torbay we can get help to quit smoking or manage our weight through the team at: YourHeathTorbay.co.uk

We can get help to be move active at ActiveDevon.org ‘I want to move more’.  

A big challenge is that many of us just don’t realise we have a problem in the first place. High blood pressure usually has no obvious symptoms, so we need to keep an eye on it by getting a regular test at the chemists, or by buying or borrowing a blood pressure monitor.   They only cost around £30 and are a purchase that could save your life. 

When we did a random blood pressure test of 300 visitors to Paignton Library’s Hub, 100 of those tested had high readings and were signposted to their GP for further checks.   19% of patients on Torbay’s GP registers have hypertension but there must be many more folk out there unaware of their risk of becoming seriously ill. 

So why aren’t we identifying problems as early as possible, and treating people early to prevent future heart attacks or strokes? 

This is where ‘Know your Numbers! Week’ comes in. 

Know Your Numbers! is a national campaign created to raise awareness about high blood pressure.  It is now the UK’s largest annual testing and awareness event and this year runs from September 8 to 14.  

The objective is to encourage people to check their blood pressure so they know their own numbers, the first step in preventing heart attacks and strokes.

We can all play our part by checking if we are at risk of high blood pressure and by urging others to do the same. 

Find out more about high blood pressure at www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure

You can also get your blood pressure checked at the Paignton Community Hub, Paignton Library.

From September 8 to 14 is Know Your Numbers!, the national campaign created to raise awareness about high blood pressure. 

Blood pressure testing at Paignton Library's Hub