Live Well
Your surroundings, including employment and housing, and how lonely or isolated you feel, can greatly affect your health. People’s experiences and environment can cause different levels of health and wellbeing across the borough.
In Kensington and Chelsea, there are 105,300 residents of a working age (71%), 37% of whom identify as being from a Black, Asian or other minority ethnic background. There are approximately 1,700 autistic adults living in the borough.
1 in 9 residents smoke, over 2 in 5 adults are overweight or obese, and 1 in 5 feel anxious. As well as health differences between locations in the borough, we see different health outcomes among residents from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Residents from Black, Asian and Other minority groups are more likely to have diabetes, be overweight, have poor mental health and suffer from hypertension.
The rising cost of living is one of the biggest issues our residents face at the moment, and it can affect our mental and physical health. We must continue to support residents in maximising their income and opportunities, while also providing crisis support to our most vulnerable residents.
“Many of my neighbours report challenges with confidence and isolation, I would like to see opportunities for meeting up with other people to do meaningful creative activities such as repairing old clothes, art, music, photography trips, cooking and crafts; and having a person of reference to talk to when things get tricky. Is it that difficult?“
Drinking alcohol
2 in 5 residents drink more than is recommended.
Someone in mid-life who smokes, drinks too much, exercises too little and eats poorly is four times more likely to die over the next 10 years than someone who does none of these things.
2 in 5 residents drink more than is recommended, and 4,370 adults aged 18 or over are at high risk of alcohol-related health issues. Alcohol-related hospital admissions are above the London average.
Drug misuse
3,600 residents aged over 18 are at high risk of drug dependence. Drug related deaths are one of the top five causes of death in under 50s.
Find out about the work we are doing to support residents suffering with substance misuse by reading our 2023 Public Health Report.
Smoking
1 in 9 adults in Kensington and Chelsea smoke.
1 in 9 (11%) residents aged over 18 smoke. Those most likely to smoke are people who identify as from a Mixed White and Black Caribbean ethnic background, live in the more deprived areas of the borough, have mental health conditions and are in treatment for drugs or alcohol. The quitting smoking rate (60%) is above the London average (56%).
Obesity
Over 2 in 5 adults in Kensington and Chelsea are overweight or obese.
Obesity is associated with reduced life expectancy and can impact on our mental health and wellbeing. 8,600 adults in Kensington and Chelsea are diagnosed as obese. There are a wide range of drivers of obesity, including access to healthy food, physical activity and social and psychological factors. Over 1 in 5 residents are inactive. Residents identifying from a Black ethnic background have nearly three times the rates of obesity than those from a White background.
Sexually transmitted infections
In 2023, there were 2,850 new diagnoses of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as syphilis, HIV, gonorrhoea and chlamydia. This is the ninth highest in England.
Find out more about taking care of your sexual health.
Mental health and wellbeing
1 in 5 residents report feeling anxious.
1 in 5 residents (20%) reported feeling high levels of anxiety. A local Citizen Panel survey found that feeling satisfied with life, motivated and optimistic was lower for people from an ethnically diverse background, females and those under 60. 1 in 12 have a GP diagnosis of depression; this is more common among residents identifying as from a Black and Black British or Mixed (particularly Caribbean) background, and those living in more deprived areas. Rates of suicide in the borough are similar to the average for England and Wales. On average, 14 residents take their life each year.
Find out more about mental health support in Kensington and Chelsea.
Long-term health conditions
30% of residents have a long-term condition.
Over 30% of residents have one or more long-term conditions in our borough. The proportion of conditions increases with age and is higher among those living in more deprived areas. Residents identifying from a Black ethnic background have double the rate of hypertension, and three times the rates of diabetes and obesity than those from a White background.
The uptake of NHS health checks (once every five years) is among the top 10 boroughs in London, with 65% of residents taking up the offer.
Find out more about our free healthy lifestyle programmes.
Read more about what we are doing to improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
“Relaxing activities for kids, coffee mornings for isolated people, and more group activities for those with diabetes and for older people such as swimming will support all of our health and wellbeing."