Strengthening our Marmot city approach, encouraging healthy lifestyles and provide quality healthcare
Life expectancy
The life expectancy at birth of the average person in Coventry is 78.6 years for males and 82.3 years for females. However, this masks significant health inequalities across the city.
Coventry bus route number 7 runs between Brownshill Green in the north-west and Bell Green in the north-east of the city. It crosses some of the city’s most affluent areas, as well as some of the most deprived areas.
The Coventry map graphic sets out the bus route (in black) across the city; and the base map sets out the neighbourhoods (known as MSOAs (Middle Layer Super Output Area)) of Coventry. The colours represent the average life expectancy at birth of residents in each of Coventry’s neighbourhood areas (MSOA) in 2015-2019.
On the ‘bus stop’ graphic, the height of each bus stop represents the average life expectancy at birth of residents in each area in 2015-2019. Life expectancy serves as a useful summary measure of mortality, as it quantifies the differences between areas in the years of life lived; and therefore, illustrates the stark health inequalities across the city.
Healthy life expectancy
Healthy life expectancy indicates the average number of years a person could expected to live in good health. For 2018-20 Coventry’s healthy life expectancy at birth for females indicates 64.0 years. It has remained stable and compares favourably to both regional and England averages. For 2018-20 Coventry’s healthy life expectancy at birth for males indicates 61.1 years. It has fallen more significantly during 2018-20 and is below both regional and England averages.
Overweight and obese children
COVID-19 has had an impact on the data collection for the National Child Measurement Programme and 2019/20 (which saw has seen an increase in the rate of overweight or obese children aged 10-11 in the city, a 2.3% increase to 40.6%) remains the most current available data. The National Child Measurement Programme has been reinstated in 2021/22.
The Council is working with school nurses and health visitors to support children and families around healthy eating, being active and wellbeing; including supporting healthy behaviours alongside the buggy workout programme for new mums.
During COVID-19, services were adapted, including running live activity and fitness sessions over Zoom; working with schools to provide activities and online sessions; and, when restrictions were relaxed, outdoor face-to-face sessions in-line with government guidance.
Coventry’s Family Health and Lifestyle service is participating in a study with Newcastle University to test a series of different interventions with parents following on from a child’s participation in the national child management programme. This study is due to end in 2023.
10,000 get active at this year’s Sports Fest
The free, six-day event in August 2021 provided for all abilities, ages and was focused on getting people active and encouraging them to try a new activity in a safe environment. The event saw sports and activities from Coventry Dynamite Cheer, Positive Youth Foundation, British Cycling, Midland Mencap, Coventry Wheelchair Basketball Academy, Tribe Cheer and more.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games team also attended the event, with a day full of activities and a visit from the mascot, Perry. Coventry’s Chelsie Giles, an Olympic Bronze medallist for the Women’s -52kg Judo in Tokyo 2020, also attended the event to meet residents of the city and enjoy the Birmingham 2022 Takeover Day.
A food resilient city where no one goes hungry
The Coventry Food Network is a food partnership that brings together several public, private, voluntary and community sectors partners to address food poverty and its causes in Coventry by taking a city-wide collaborative and strategic approach towards a unified Coventry Food Network and Strategy.
The network has been working closely with Coventry City Council and partners, to create and deliver a system of emergency food provision because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the initiatives that have evolved from this partnership are:
• Established 15 social supermarkets/grub hubs throughout the city to provide nutritional food and support to those residents in greatest need.
• Supported the delivery of the COVID-19 Winter Grant Scheme by providing emergency food provision to vulnerable residents who needed additional support with accessing/affording food
• Supported the delivery and developed a model to support those who were clinically extremely vulnerable (Shielding) re: food and basic support
• Procured food and distributed food parcels to children eligible for free school meals provision during school holidays
• Developing a citywide Sustainable Food Strategy which focuses on the links between the long-term sustainable prevention of food poverty, the promotion of public health and the reduction of growing health inequalities.
• The Network is in the process of registering as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
Social supermarkets/grub hubs offer discounted food parcels, typically about £20 worth of food for a cost of a £4 membership per week. Residents do not need a foodbank voucher to access them, but they may have some criteria to ensure they are helping those who need it most.
At present, Coventry has around 15 social supermarkets / grub hubs, and 17 food banks / emergency food points.