High Peak named among England's 'least stressed' boroughs

A marketing exercise by cannabidiol oil products company CBDfx analysed the latest ONS health index, published in June and covering 2015-21, picking out three factors to compare local authorities – residents’ mental health, feelings of anxiety, and life satisfaction – to produce an overall stress measure.

High Peak scored 121.7, the fifth best in the nation, based on 97.0 for mental health, 127.4 for anxiety, and 140.6 for life satisfaction.

The top ten was dominated by rural areas, although the ‘least stressed’ was Dartford in Kent, scoring 127.8.

A CBDfx spokesperson said: “It’s interesting to see just how much these areas score better for stress when compared to the national average, and how a few of these areas are considered more rural, showing that a break from urban life can be beneficial in some cases.

“What also is worth noting is how the different individual factors can be so different in certain areas, for example, with an area scoring lower than the national average for its mental health but higher for life satisfaction.”

The ONS health index is a relatively new, experimental tool combining 56 indicators to produce a single score tracking how population health changes over time.

High Peak figures suggest health improved over the six years, rising from 110.9 in 2015 to 117.7 in 2021, compared with a national baseline average of 100 in 2015 and 100.8 in 2021.

The borough’s 2021 score was the second highest in Derbyshire, behind only the Dales whose score declined over the same period.