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THE ROYAL BOROUGH OP KENSINGTON
Telephone: WEStern 3173 Public Health Department,
Hornton Street,
Kensington, W.8.
1st June, 1964
To the Mayor, Aldermen and Councillors of the
Royal Borough of Kensington.
My Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure in presenting the Annual Report on the state
of the public health in Kensington for 1963. The Minister of Health has
again requested (Circular l/64) that the Report should be generally in the
same form as has been the case for some years past.
The public health in Kensington during the year under review was
maintained at a satisfactory standard.
Population. The population of the borough as finally ascertained
by the Census in 1961 was 171,272. For the purpose of this report,
the population for 1963 has been estimated by the Registrar-General to be
172,170. The estimated population figure for the previous year was
172,020.
Birth Rate. The number of live births per 1,000 population of
the borough was 19.1 in 19&3 which compares with the figure of 19•7 for
the previous year.
Death Rate. The number of deaths per 1,000 population in 1963
was 10.20, slightly lower than the death rate for the previous year (10.21).
Area Comparability Factors for Birth and Death Rates.
Comparisons of crude birth and death rates between local areas are not
strictly valid since these rates take no account of the varying composition
of the populations of the different areas by sex and age.
In order to compare Kensington birth and death rates with
England and Wales as a whole, the Registrar-General has, in the case of
death rates since 1934 and in the case of birth rates since 1949,
supplied area comparability factors (A.C.Fs.).
This is considered to be necessary as the proportion of old
people to young, and of males to females, varies considerably in
different districts. The local crude death rates are affected as the
mortality at the extremes of life is much greater than in the middle
period, and at practically all ages the mortality in females is rather
less than in males of corresponding ages. Similarly, so far as the
local birth rates are concerned, the child bearing component of the
population varies in different districts. In a borough such as
Kensington, which has a higher proportion of females amongst its
inhabitants compared with most other districts, the crude birth and
death rates cannot be compared satisfactorily with those of, say, an
industrial area, where the proportion of males is much higher.
The Registrar-General has supplied, for use in Kensington in
1963, the figures 0.58 for births and 1.18 for deaths. The crude birth
and death rates for the borough should be multiplied by the appropriate
factor, and when so adjusted the results are comparable with the crude
rates for England and Wales or with the corresponding adjusted rates for
any other area.