More people in Thanet die from smoking and cancer, teenage pregnancy and childhood obesity rates are among the worst in the country and life expectancy for men and women is lower.

Those are the findings of the latest NHS snapshot into the health services accessed by people in the region.

Thanet performs “significantly worse” than the England average in half of the report’s 32 key indicators, which include data on child health inequalities for the first time this year.

The Thanet figures show that more than 6,600 children are living in poverty, with nearly 30 per cent of the population living in deprivation compared to the national average of 20 per cent.

Teenage pregnancy remains a serious problem with 139 girls aged 18 or under giving birth every year. Around 15 per cent of under 15s are not in good health and one in 10 schoolchildren are obese in their first year at school.

Adults fare little better, with a life expectancy of 75.8 for men and 80.5 for women.

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Nearly a third of the population smoke – even though the habit accounts for around 350 deaths every year – whilst 210 people suffer an early death because of cancer.

However, the report shows that adults in Thanet have a reasonably healthy diet, with more than a quarter managing to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Children’s tooth decay is also “significantly better” than the national average and fewer adults binge drink.