Blackpool, the most deprived area of England, has twice the rate of early deaths of Wokingham, the most affluent, new research shows.

The north/south divide in health has long been known, but a major study published by the Lancet medical journal shows that high rates of premature deaths from avoidable illnesses such as heart disease and some cancers are firmly tied to poverty and deprivation.

Blackpool’s rate of premature mortality – death earlier than it should have been according to life expectancy at birth – was twice that of the most affluent local authorities – Wokingham, Surrey, Windsor and Maidenhead, and West Berkshire – according to the Global Burden of Disease initiative.

“The scale of it was a surprise to us,” said Prof Nicholas Steel, lead author from the University of East Anglia. “There is more than a twofold variation.”

The main cause of early deaths was heart disease, with rates for men twice that of women. Half of all of the early deaths in 2016 were linked to preventable lifestyle risks.

“The big ones – tobacco, diet, alcohol and drugs, obesity and high blood pressure – we see them clustering in the poor areas,” said Steel. “Blackpool has hugely high rates of smoking and poor diet.”

One of the big questions the study raises, he said, is “to what extent this tailoff in life expectancy would be due to austerity. We think because of these links to specific conditions, it is much less likely to be due to austerity than something linked to these conditions.”

That suggests that the issue is not about the funding of the health service; however, he said, austerity makes a difference to the environment in which people live, affecting their education and employment, for instance, which in turn affects their health.

Steel says the study points to the need to tackle the factors that prevent people living healthier lifestyles. “In many cases the causes of ill health and the behaviours that cause it lie outside the control of health services,” he said.

“Our results argue for policies and programmes that deter the food industry from a business model based on cheap calories, that promote and sustain healthy built and natural environments, that help people stop smoking, and that encourage a healthy drinking culture.

“The same level of attention that has previously been given to the prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer now needs to be directed at other major causes of mortality such as liver disease and dementia, and associated risk factors including unhealthy diets, alcohol, air pollution and drug misuse.”

People are living longer but their extra years are not always spent in good physical and mental health, the study shows.

The leading causes of disability were low back and neck pain, skin problems, migraine, depressive disorders, poor sight and hearing, and anxiety disorders.

Some of the 150 local authorities in the study did better than others in spite of similar levels of deprivation. London boroughs such as Tower Hamlets and Hackney did better than similar areas in Liverpool and Manchester.

The authors suggest this could be to do with less smoking, better diets, better education or access to healthcare in London, or the possibility that fitter people move into London and sicker people move out.

The authors hope the detailed information in the study will be used by local authorities to improve health in their areas.

Prof John Newton, author and director of health improvement at Public Health England, said the work “highlights the stark division between rich and poor areas, which sees poorer people dying earlier and getting sicker quicker.

“It also shows the improvements to health that could be achieved by addressing underlying causes, such as poverty, education and other resources needed for good health.”