As always, we welcome comments, feedback and suggestions.
Photo by Nat at Suffolk County Council
We welcome your photos of Suffolk to use in a future blog!
Email us at: knowledgeandIntelligence@suffolk.gov.uk
Now updated- Our infographics
We’ve updated the core theme infographics that sit at the heart of the Suffolk Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA).
These refreshed visuals bring together the latest available data (as of April 2026) on population, health behaviours, physical and mental health, wider determinants, inequalities and climate impacts—designed to give a clear, accessible snapshot of what matters most for health and wellbeing in Suffolk.
The infographics are intended as high‑level overviews, supporting conversations, planning and decision‑making across the system. They work best alongside the more detailed JSNA topic pages and datasets.
You can explore the full set of updated infographics here:
- Starting well
- Being well in mid-life
- Closing the inequality gap
- Health and climate change
- Ageing well
- Place
As always, we welcome feedback on how these are being used and where they’re most useful.
Updated NCMP profile for Suffolk now available
We’ve published an updated National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) profile for Suffolk, using the latest 2024/25 data.
The NCMP provides a nationally consistent measure of child weight for children in Reception (ages 4–5) and Year 6 (ages 10–11).
Key findings include:
- Around 3 in 4 Reception‑aged children in Suffolk are a healthy weight, compared with around 2 in 3 in Year 6.
- Just under a 1 in 4 Reception‑aged children and around 1 in 3 Year 6 children are overweight or living with obesity.
- Suffolk is statistically similar to England for Reception year, and significantly lower than England for Year 6 on the combined measure of overweight or living with obesity.
- Patterns within Suffolk reflect known inequalities, with Ipswich showing higher prevalence in Year 6 compared with other local areas.
The profile is part of the Suffolk Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) and is intended as a high‑level overview to support understanding, planning and discussion. It does not include recommendations and should be used alongside wider JSNA evidence.
View the profile and our other JSNA products using the JSNA searchable index below:
Four you: Recent national publications:
- Tobacco and Vapes Bill becomes law: The next generation will be smoke-free as Tobacco and Vapes Bill is granted Royal Assent. This delivers a historic step towards a smoke-free UK and protecting people from the harms of tobacco by making it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009.
- Closing the dementia awareness gap: why the UK needs a national dementia risk reduction campaign: Evidence indicates that up to 45% of dementia cases globally could be prevented or delayed, public understanding of how to reduce dementia risk remains low. This report outlines why the government should lead a national dementia risk reduction campaign, delivered by the NHS, as part of a wider, cross‑government effort to prevent ill health.
- Healthy life expectancy by national area deprivation, England and Wales: between 2013 to 2015 and 2022 to 2024: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have published estimates of socioeconomic inequalities in life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HLE) for England and Wales, based on each country’s national deprivation indices.
- Drug use spikes during heatwaves and sport events: New Home Office research led by Imperial College London finds that illicit drug use in England rises during heatwaves, bank holiday weekends and major sporting or cultural events, based on analysis of wastewater samples from treatment plants. The findings aim to support emergency services preparedness for more overdoses and drug-related incidents and targeting public health messaging to reduce harm.
This month the JSNA workplan is focused on:
- Finalising a healthy pregnancy profile - due for publication this month!
- Finalising the Mental Health Needs Assessment - due for publication this month!
- Drafting a men's health profile
- Drafting a women's health profile
- Drafting a gambling profile
- Drafting an inclusion health profile
- Scoping new profiles on the end of life, alcohol, substance misuse, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), and respiratory health
The Suffolk Observatory
The Suffolk Observatory contains all Suffolk’s vital statistics. It is the one-stop-shop for data, statistics and reports all about Suffolk provided by a variety of organisations.
Through data, reports and analysis, the Suffolk Observatory provides a comprehensive picture of the county and is a great source for useful facts and figures that will help you write reports and presentations, inform strategic and business planning, prepare funding applications or support academic research.
Take a look at the SODA reports page for all the recent publications by the Suffolk Office of Data and Analytics.
