THE healthiest and unhealthiest places in Gwent have been revealed.

Specialists at the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC) investigated wellbeing by monitoring pollution levels in Gwent, as well as the number of green spaces in easy access.

The availability of health services, such as GP surgeries and pharmacies, and the number of takeaways, pubs and gambling shops were also taken into account.

Rural areas are likely to score low on the health index due to the distance from healthcare and open areas to keep fit and active.

An interactive map has now been created to display the findings.

The map tracks a CDRC's health index - also known as Access to Healthy Assets and Hazards (AHAH).

It takes into consideration a number of factors, including:

  • Retail environment (access to fast food outlets, pubs, off-licences, tobacconists, gambling outlets)
  • Health services (access to GPs, hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, leisure services)
  • Physical environment (Blue Space, Green Space - Active, Green Space - Passive)
  • Air quality (Nitrogen Dioxide, Particulate Matter 10, Sulphur Dioxide).

Each of these factors is tracked and provides an overall AHAH score for that area.

South Wales Argus:

The lower the score, the healthier the area is, with the healthiest areas appearing blue on the map.

The higher scores are represented with red and indicates the town is less healthy than its blue counterparts.

Areas are also ranked one to ten healthiest areas are given a rank of one while the unhealthiest regions are classed as a ten.

This is how healthy each area of Gwent is:

South Wales Argus:

The outskirts of Newport are some of the healthiest in the country according to the interactive map.

And that stretches into areas like Caerleon, Rogerstone and Risca.

However, as you move further into the centre of the city, you the ranking drops to the ninth decile in places.

South Wales Argus:

Abergavenny is a bit of an outlier when it comes to Monmouthshire.

While areas such as Monmouth, Chepstow, Magor and Caldicot rank low on the map, Abergavenny is one of the healthiest areas to live in Gwent.

The majority of the town ranks in the top ten per cent in the country.

South Wales Argus:

Another of the top performing areas is Cwmbran.

While there are areas on the outskirts of the town which fall into the lower reaches of the scale, the majority of the area ranks in the top 20 per cent of the country, according to the CDRC.

South Wales Argus:

Areas of Blaenau Gwent tend to fall at the lower end of the scale.

Though Tredegar and Ebbw Vale both have areas which are in the top half of the healthiest places to live in the UK.

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South Wales Argus:

While Ystrad Mynach and Newbridge both boast some of the most healthiest places to live according to the interactive map.

But it is a different story for places such as Blackwood, the majority of which falls in the bottom three deciles in the country.