GLOUCESTERSHIRE is one of the healthiest places in Britain.

Figures released by the Department of Health show people in the county live longer and are less likely to die from heart disease, strokes and cancer.

Figures also show that most children and teenagers spend at least two hours exercising each week, teenage pregnancy is low and rates of binge drinking are below the national average.

Drug misuse, infant death and the number of children on the poverty line are low and this has led to life expectancy rocketing in the county to 78 for men and 83 for women.

In Cheltenham 94 per cent of children and teenagers exercise each week. But there is a higher level of obese children in Tewkesbury and the Cotswolds.

The number of adults binge drinking and smoking is lower than the national average and healthy eating is high on the agenda for people in the borough.

Across the county, life expectancy is highest in the Cotswolds, with men living to an average age of 80 and women to 83.

Children are also most physically active in the rural district and early deaths from heart disease and cancer are low.

Teenage pregnancy is almost three times higher in Gloucester and the Forest of Dean than in the Cotswolds.

Healthy eating is also low on the priority list in both areas and smoking rates are high in Gloucester.

The number of teenagers achieving five A to C grades at GCSE is above the national average in Cheltenham and across the county.

Cases of diabetes, hospital stays related to alcohol, smoking rates during pregnancy and the number of under-15s in bad health is low.

But violent crime rates are higher in Cheltenham the town than in other parts of the UK.

In the Cotswolds, Tewkesbury and the Forest of Dean, road injuries and deaths are far above the national average.

Despite some negative results, primary care bosses remain positive about the health profile of the county and say a raft of health initiatives has led to the largely positive results.

Shona Arora, Director of Public Health at Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust, said: “Many of these issues highlighted in the profile take concerted effort by a range of agencies, organisations, communities and individuals over a period of time.

“In Gloucestershire we have some challenges in common with the rest of the country, such as tackling obesity and continuing to reduce smoking rates and health inequalities, but the overall picture remains one of good health and a testament to strong partnership working.”

Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust has set up a number of projects aimed at tackling obesity. More than 100 schools in the county are taking part in a three-year programme called Health 4 Schools, which focuses on active play, cooking and growing food.

There is a Food in Schools project, which is working to improve school meals in Gloucestershire.

In the Cotswolds, the PCT is working with the district council to provide community-based weight management groups. And there are a number of health improvement projects under way in neighbourhood projects, children's centres and pre-school settings.

Coun Andrew Gravells, chairman of Gloucestershire's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, said: “I welcome the picture in Gloucestershire and the hard work being done by health trusts.

“There remain some areas that concern the committee and we will be looking at this at our next meeting.”