Dorset has emerged as one of Britain’s healthiest habit hotspots, ranking seventh in a new 2026 study that has also highlighted a striking North-South divide in the nation’s health and lifestyle patterns.
The findings come as the long-running debate over regional inequality has returned to the headlines, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham facing accusations of “waging a war on the capital”.
Research by ZAVA has ranked local authorities according to a range of environmental and behavioural indicators, including physical activity, adult obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption and the proximity of fast-food outlets to gyms.
Dorset recorded an unhealthy habits score of 4.57 out of 10, placing it seventh among the healthiest areas examined.
The figures suggest that Dorset residents benefit from relatively high levels of physical activity. Some 68.8% are reported to achieve at least 150 minutes of activity a week, while the adult obesity prevalence is 28.2%.
Smoking is reported at 9.6%, while the alcohol overconsumption rate is 10.4 per 1,000 adults.
Dorset’s extensive coastline, countryside and outdoor spaces could provide part of the explanation. With around 100 miles of coastline and extensive opportunities for walking, cycling and other outdoor activities, the county has an environment that can make physical activity more accessible.
But the study raises a much bigger question: is Britain’s health divide becoming another manifestation of the country’s wider regional inequalities?
Eight of the ten areas with the healthiest habit scores are in the South of England, while six of the ten areas with the unhealthiest scores are in the North. The remaining four of the ten least healthy areas are in the Midlands.
Richmond upon Thames topped the healthy-habits table, followed by West Berkshire, Oxford, South Gloucestershire and Cheshire East.
The research also points towards differences in the environments in which people live and work.
Transport is one example. Parliamentary research has previously found that around 64% of drivers in North West England say they would struggle to reach their jobs without their own vehicle, compared with 31% in London.
Access to green space also varies considerably. Research cited by ZAVA found that 62% of London’s urban population live within walking distance of a park, compared with just 24% of people in cities in the North West living within walking distance of a Green Flag-accredited park.
That does not mean geography determines whether someone lives healthily. Nor does it mean people in the North are somehow less interested in looking after themselves.
Instead, the figures highlight how the environment around people can influence the choices available to them.
Dr Crystal Wyllie of ZAVA argues that developing healthier habits is easier when people make small, sustainable changes rather than relying entirely on willpower.
Planning meals, keeping healthier snacks available, incorporating short walks into the day and making unhealthy choices less convenient can all help, she says.
For Dorset, the findings provide another reason to value the county’s beaches, countryside and outdoor spaces.
But they also provide a reminder that health is not simply a matter of individual responsibility. Where people live, how they travel, the availability of green space and the food and drink environment around them can all shape the choices they are able to make.
The North-South divide, it seems, may extend well beyond politics and economics.
