In the Craigentinny, Northfield and Duddingston wards lives are cut short.
Male life expectancy sits at an average of 75.4 years, whereas women can expect to live to 80.7 years - both below the country's average. "I'm not sure what the reason for such a low life expectancy could be," said one local, Roger who is close to turning 80. "I suppose there is a little bit of crime creeping in and maybe people that have lived here their whole lives are reluctant to move on."
Life expectancy in the north-east of Edinburgh is in stark contrast to parts of the city boasting among the oldest residents in Scotland. In the Edinburgh Southern, Central and Western constituencies, females can expect live to an average of 83.43 to 83.82 years according to the new stats from the National Records of Scotland.
The quiet centre of Craigentinny is made up of tenement blocks, with very few new-build homes. The community garden, centre and library are often shut. There are also very few shops. A local pharmacy, convenience store and chip shop essentially round up all the action.
Having already surpassed the average life expectancy for a male, Roger says he was surprised at the new figures. "I'm very surprised at that news," he added. "I've lived locally with my wife for 49 years at Mountcastle which is just a few streets away.
"There is a lot of people that have been here for the same amount of time as us, typically people we know have been in the area their whole lives. I'm not sure what the reason for such a low life expectancy could be but I suppose there is a little bit of crime creeping in and maybe people that have lived here their whole lives are reluctant to move on.
"I would say Northfield is maybe a little less affluent which could contribute. Homes near us typically very rarely hit the market in fact."
Doreen Nicholson, who is in her early 70s, was also very surprised when she heard about low average life expectancy. She added: "People who are coming in now are the young ones, older people aren't moving to the area and buying homes. It's all residential here and not really industrial. There's the railway next to use but apart from that there's nothing really in terms of the history which could have an impact.
"I'm actually very shocked. I know areas a little further south are more crime-ridden but they wouldn't come under our local ward. It maybe is just a lack of young people although there are more and more coming in, maybe just not as many as other areas round about us."
In general, Northfield was very popular when it was formed in the early 1920s. A lot of the land now is privately owned and there are a lot of listed buildings. The area did also seem fairly quiet, but it shows the drop-off in population just minutes outside of the city centre. Similar to Craigentinny, there was a lack of modern and new-build homes in the area.
Another local resident, 55-year-old Sheila, agreed with both Roger and Doreen in that the figures suggest crime may be a possible issue. She commented: "Well I haven't lived here for that long actually, but I wouldn't say it's a thriving community. There's your typical elderly dance classes in the community centre, a few pubs and some small businesses, but it's doesn't have much to put it on the map.
"I like it here as it's quiet but I am aware of some crime, although you can't really escape it these days. I'm glad that according to the statistics I still have a fair few years left, although I'm surprised that any area in Edinburgh has such a low male life expectancy to be honest."
But others blamed poverty for claiming lives early. Alex Staniforth, Greens councillor for Craigentinny and Duddingston, said: “Edinburgh Eastern is a constituency of stark contrasts between areas of relative wealth and areas of deprivation.
"We know that wealth inequality is the biggest factor in driving down life expectancy and in this area wealth inequality is perhaps at its most obvious. This report shows the need to invest in areas of deprivation in the constituency and ensure everyone has access to good civic amenities, health services and children’s services.”
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