The poor die young

A MAN’S life expectancy in Scotland can vary by as much as 34 years depending on where in the country he was born. The astonishing gap — which is widening and is equivalent to almost half a man’s average lifespan — is revealed in a NHS report on the state of the nation’s health.

It shows a boy born in Whitehirst Park and Woodside in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, a rural pocket of southwest Scotland, could expect to live to about 92, whereas a boy born in Greendykes and Niddrie Mains in Edinburgh is unlikely to live much beyond 58.