A boy from west Belfast can expect to live six years less than one from the south of the city, a report revealed today.

High levels of academic under-achievement and too much smoking and drinking also blight the lives of those in the most deprived areas, the Belfast Healthy Cities document added.

Belfast Healthy Cities is a partnership of medical experts and administrators. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey helped launch its paper today.

Partnership chairwoman Dr Bernadette Cullen said: "These statistics highlight some very serious messages about persistent inequalities in health within the Belfast Trust area, which can only be tackled by addressing their root causes.

"What is required is joint leadership across sectors, based on an understanding of how non-health policy impacts on health."

The paper, 'Divided By Health: A City Profile' brought together statistics on obesity, economic inactivity and smoking.

It warned:

• A boy born in west Belfast is expected to live six years less (71) than one from south Belfast (77).
  
• Male life expectancy in Belfast is the 11th lowest in the UK while Castlereagh by contrast ranks in place 172nd.
  
• Smoking prevalence remains at around 30%, with the gap in prevalence rates between those in manual and non-manual occupations increased.
  
• A fifth of people remain sedentary and there was an increase to 37% of men drinking too much.
  
• Obesity is also on the rise.

The report said around 30% of people in Belfast were economically inactive, which includes the retired and students, one of the highest rates in the UK.

There has been a limited change in the proportion of people leaving school with no GCSEs, despite efforts to combat illiteracy.

According to the 2001 census, 51% of people in west Belfast aged 16-74 had no formal qualifications compared to 27% from the south of the city.

Dr Cullen added: "Health equity will be a key theme for the World Health Organisation (WHO) European Healthy Cities Network in its next five-year phase.

"We see the profile as an essential resource and basis for agreeing future policy priorities for Belfast, and the ongoing reform of the public administration structures offers a timely opportunity for this.

"In particular, the profile can help target action and resources in a way that is most likely to improve health and reduce inequalities in health."

Mr McGimpsey said the profile highlights important positive change over the last decade, including improvements in life expectancy, reduced unemployment, improving quality of housing and increases in the proportion of school leavers achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A*-C. There has also been an increase in the number of people in higher education, especially in areas where participation in higher education traditionally has been low.

He added: "So much has been achieved, but to continue to improve health and wellbeing overall, tackling inequalities in health must be a core policy priority."