Differing levels of deprivation are likely the cause of a vast disparity in healthy life expectancy between Slough and Windsor, an expert has said.

The Observer previously reported that Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) figures suggest a ten-year gap in healthy life expectancy between the two boroughs.

The data showed that healthy life expectancy at birth sits at currently 58.1 for males and 60.3 for females in Slough.

This contrasts with the Royal Borough, where the same numbers are 67.9 and 70.3.

However, Professor Melanie Luhrmann of Royal Holloway, University of London, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service this does not mean the same thing as actual life expectancy.

She explained that average overall life expectancy figures show less of a disparity between the two towns, with the ten-year disparity just representing how long people can expect to live in good health.

Professor Luhrmann said: “This means that while Slough residents live on average two to three years shorter than those in Windsor and Maidenhead, they spend a considerably longer time living in poor health.

“This is captured in the concept of healthy life expectancy, the average number of years a person can expect to live in full health. The indicator is based on life expectancy adjusted for lost years of healthy life due to diseases or comorbidities.”

She added that the deprivation gap between the two towns is a key reason why there is such a vast disparity in healthy life expectancy between the two towns.

She said: “Across England, health and mortality are closely linked to deprivation, and while Windsor is among the 20 per cent least deprived areas in England, Slough has pockets of high deprivation with 57 per cent of deprived households along one or more dimensions - the dimensions cover income, health, education, environmental factors, crime - relative to Windsor where the majority of households have no deprivation.”

Figures around health outcomes in Slough also suggested this, with Professor Luhrmann pointing to data that suggests the mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases in Slough is double that of Windsor.

Other figures cited showed higher obesity and diabetes rates in Slough than its neighbouring borough.

She added: “Policymakers and healthcare providers may want to look into ways to more strongly promote smoking-cessation policies and intensify strategies to reduce obesity.”

Melanie Luhrmann is a professor of economics at Royal Holloway, University of London.