A new campaign is taking aim at the stark health inequalities affecting communities in North Lanarkshire.
New College Lanarkshire (NCL) has announced its Better than 52 campaign, following recent figures from the National Register of Scotland that put North Lanarkshire's healthy life expectancy at just 52 years – the lowest in the country.
As part of the campaign, NCL will host two public health conferences in Coatbridge in early June, bringing together health professionals, educators and community groups to explore ways to improve health outcomes in the area.
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Professor Christopher Moore, principal and chief executive of NCL, said: "A healthy life expectancy in North Lanarkshire of 52 years is not what any of us want or can accept.
"At New College Lanarkshire we are resolved to play our part to secure healthier lives for people in our communities.
"We know that education leads to healthier lives.
"Our Better than 52 programme is the bold, focused and determined way in which we will rise to this crucial challenge."
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The Women’s Health Symposium on Tuesday, June 2 will feature Professor Anna Glasier, honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh in Obstetrics and Women’s Health Champion for Scotland, as keynote speaker.
Sessions will address topics including brain health, domestic abuse, financial inequality, hospice care and neurodivergence, alongside Q&As and practical workshops.
The following day, the Men’s Health Symposium will shift the focus to prevention, behaviour change and community connection, with an emphasis on physical and mental health.
Keynote speakers include Dr Henry Simmons, chief executive of Alzheimer's Scotland, and Heather Connolly, chair of the Division of Health Psychology Scotland and principal health psychologist at NHS Scotland.
Both conferences are free and open to the public.
They form part of NCL’s wider efforts to tackle health inequality in North Lanarkshire, which also include its Wellbeing Academies and Scotland’s first college-based Brain Health module, developed in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland.
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