Number of alcohol deaths far higher in poorer areas

The study by Sheffield University has found that mortality rates of men and women in the most deprived parts of England were four times higher than in more affluent areas.

Now the researchers are calling for their results to be taken into account when developing policies to combat alcohol abuse.

The results examined the number of deaths from conditions such as alcoholic liver cirrhosis, alcoholic pancreatitis and alcoholic gastritis over a four year period.

The deaths of 18,716 men and 10,123 women between 1999 and 2003 were analysed.

Academics found that urban areas had a higher alcohol-mortality rate than rural areas, accounting for 85 per cent of the alcohol related deaths.

Villages accounted for around nine per cent of the population of the study but only six per cent of the alcohol-related deaths.

Mortality rates rose with age but peaked between 45 to 64 which accounted for half of the alcohol related deaths despite the age group only accounting for a quarter of the population of the area studied.

The 20 per cent most deprived of the population studied accounted for about a third of the alcohol related deaths in men and a quarter of those in women.

In contrast the most affluent fifth of those people studied only accounted for 11 per cent of male and 14 per cent of female deaths. The largest difference between mortality rates between rich and poor were seen in the 25-44 year age group.

Sheffield University's Dr Ravi Maheswaran, from the School of Health and Related Research said: "Deaths from alcohol-related causes represent one extreme of the physical harm caused by alcohol.

"This study highlights the large inequalities in alcohol-related mortality which exist between different socio-economic areas of the UK."