“Getting sicker quicker”: Does living in a more deprived neighbourhood mean your health deteriorates faster?

► Longitudinal data used to examine changes in self-reported health over a 20 year period. ► Health of people in poorer areas deteriorated faster than those in more affluent areas. ► 16 year gap between richer and poorer areas in odds of reporting poor health. ► Wider area differences were seen for men than for women.