"The unhealthy option isn’t just available, it’s unavoidable" - Albert Road in Southsea named as one of the unhealthiest high streets in the South East
New data has revealed that a high street in Portsmouth is one of the unhealthiest in the South East.
Data from over 400 UK high streets were analysed by researchers from The Independent Pharmacy and ranked by the concentration of takeaways, pubs, sweet shops, vape stores, and gyms, with air quality also taken into account.
The results revealed that Albert Road in Southsea is the eighth unhealthiest high street in the South East and ranked at 72 nationally. The big reason it featured so highly was the 17 pubs/bars situated on the street, which was the second highest in the region, and the below average air quality.
In the South East, Portswood Road in Southampton was named the most unhealthy street, with Shirley Road also featuring at number 4.
Dr Donald Grant, clinical advisor at The Independent Pharmacy, believes the data reveals why obesity is such an issue and how the lack of healthy food establishments are worsening a public health crisis.
He said: “Where we live often defines how we live. High streets should support healthy decisions, not make them harder. When fast food outlets outnumber gyms twenty to one, we’re setting people up to fail.
“In many towns, the unhealthy option isn’t just available, it’s unavoidable. Communities dominated by takeaways and alcohol outlets face higher risks of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It’s not that people don’t understand the risks; it’s that their surroundings make the healthy choice the hardest one to make.
“With one in four adults in England now obese, these high streets are feeding a growing public health crisis. If nothing changes, we’ll see shorter lives, poorer quality of life, and widening health inequalities. Britain’s health is being shaped not only in hospitals or GP surgeries, but on the pavements of its high streets.”
The full nationwide results and details of how the data was collected can be found at https://www.theindependentpharmacy.co.uk/weight-loss/guides/britains-unhealthiest-high-streets
The top 10 unhealthiest streets in the South East can be found below: