Blackpool Council Annual Health Report 2019 Blackpool Council Annual Health Report PAGES | Page 21
THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE OF BLACKPOOL
2018 HEALTHY BEGINNINGS FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE
While good healthcare in both primary and secondary care settings
is crucial, it contributes only around 10% of overall health. A further
10-20% of health is thought to be shaped by genetic factors, but even
genes can be influenced by environmental factors. Most of what
makes people healthy are the physical and social environments that
they live in. Giving children safe and healthy surroundings to grow up
in can have significant impacts on their health, wellbeing and ability
to learn and develop.
From a physical health point of view, Blackpool’s children are more
likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma, diabetes or accidental
or non-accidental injury and have a higher over-all rate of emergency
admissions to hospital compared to the national average.
The relationships between these “wider determinants of
health” and health outcomes are complex, and it is the
Public Health team's job to advocate and work towards
improving the underlying foundations of health as well as
targeting interventions more directly on improving health
outcomes.
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