Overview

• The study by the Office for National Statistics for The Health Foundation examined adult deaths before age 75 across England and Wales from March 2021 to December 2023
• Socioeconomic deprivation was identified as the largest contributor to variation in early death rates, with education, occupation and nativity also playing significant roles
• Blackpool’s basic premature mortality rate was 2.5 times that of Richmond upon Thames, narrowing to 2.3 times after adjusting for ethnicity and nativity and to 1.1 times with socioeconomic controls
• Cause-specific analyses showed that geographic disparities in cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory and diabetes deaths persisted even after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic factors
• Remaining unexplained differences are likely driven by local health service provision, environmental exposures and community health behaviours