Hannan's Call to Order

The moaning minnies who say the Welsh can't be world-beaters at anything have certainly had their answer.

When it comes to smoking, drinking, eating chips, obesity and generally slugging around, some parts of Wales are the torchbearers in the bad health Olympics.

Welsh delicacies leave a bad taste in the mouth

At least that's the conclusion reached by Wales on Sunday ("Welsh slob towns named and shamed," as the paper put it so gracefully) reporting new survey which shows the suicidal lifestyle adopted by many people in the old industrial areas.

In places like Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taff, it emerges, a substantial proportion of the population continues to ignore the stern warnings of the health police when it comes to tobacco, alcohol, diet and exercise.

This seems to be the territory where eating an apple in public is to invite your neighbours to cast doubt on your masculinity.

We've heard this all before, of course, but that doesn't stop sociologists and politicians wringing their hands and urging people to adopt a better way of life.

And, after all, that's what people have done in those many parts of Wales where health-consciousness is only a few steps short of the search for immortality.

Healthy option

Down in the hotel basements of Cardiff, for example, thousands of men and women pound the health club treadmills before breakfasting on a banana and a slice of wholemeal toast topped with a smear of low-cholesterol spread.

Lunch is a thing of the past; supper consists of poached fish, green vegetables and some boiled potatoes.

The worst affected areas are often the least well-off

They have long ago given up smoking, haven't eaten a fried egg since they left college and, if they drink red wine, it's only because some newspaper reports say it's good for you.

Well, you might ask, why aren't they living like this in Tredegar or Treherbert? Don't they know what's good for them?

The problem is, of course, that while everyone accepts that bad health, in particular a high incidence of heart disease, can only be tackled through a change of lifestyle, there's a rather narrow view of how that might be achieved.

Urging people to give up cigarettes, beer and chips and jog round the park three times a week is of limited effectiveness in this process. The truth is that the place itself is as important as the people who live in it.

Economy question

What is most obvious about these latest statistics is that in general it's the most deprived parts of Wales that have the least healthy populations.

It's pretty clear why this should be so. High unemployment, for example, or, where there are jobs, boring, unattractive work for low rates of pay, perhaps make people disinclined to make to much effort to change their way of life.

Among the bran-eating populations of Cardiff or Monmouthshire, life is so good they'll do all those things necessary to make it last longer.

And a run-down local economy becomes reflected in the provision of public facilities which raise the general quality of life.

In other words, people and institutions don't have enough money.

Meanwhile down among the bran-eating populations of Cardiff or Monmouthshire life is so good they'll do all those things necessary to make it last longer.

Work is absorbing and, if there's some stress involved, there's always Tuscany in the summer to look forward to. The psychological aspect of good health is not to be underestimated.

All of which makes it clear that there is after all a simple answer to the health problems that oppress many of the poorer people of Wales; there is a miracle cure.

It's this: make them rich.

Hear Patrick Hannan's weekly political programme, Called to Order, every Friday at 1800 or Saturday at 0700 on BBC Radio Wales.

Tune in on 93-96 and 104FM, 882 and 657AM, or DSat channel 867.

You can also listen to BBC Radio Wales live online at www.bbc.co.uk/radiowales

email: [e-mail]