PEOPLE living in parts of the North-East have the same poor quality of health as former Communist countries such as Bulgaria and Hungary, according to researchers.

Experts from the North-East Public Health Observatory (PHO) discovered just how far the region lags behind more prosperous parts of the European Union as part of international research.

Dr John Wilkinson, director of the North-East Public Health Observatory at Durham University, was surprised by the statistics, which are part of work in progress.

"We have been doing quite a lot of work with various regions of Europe. We were looking at how English regions compare with regions in different parts of Europe," said Dr Wilkinson.

"We found that some parts of the North-East experience health levels which are similar to Bulgaria and Hungary," he said.

Both countries are former communist satellites of the Soviet Union, with an infrastructure which lags far behind Western Europe.

Earlier this year, a report called Lifestyle and Its Impact On Health painted a bleak picture of the region.

According to the report, published by the Association of Public Health Observatories, the North-East has the highest levels of heart disease, cancer and serious respiratory problems in England, as well as the highest hospital admission rate.

Forty per cent of young men in the North-East are overweight or obese and the region has the highest percentage of binge drinkers, along with Yorkshire and Humber.

In May, the Centre for Economics and Business Research warned that the North-East's economy was so dependent on public spending that the area was comparable to "Eastern European countries as they emerge from communism".

However, Dr Wilkinson pointed out that the region does particularly well in having lower rates of infant mortality compared to many regions of Europe.

The links with Europe reflect the decision by the Department of Health to make the North-East PHO the lead observatory in the field of Europe and international affairs.

Dr Wilkinson said it was hoped that European Union funding could be secured to carry out more detailed comparative research.

The North-East PHO has also been given national responsibility for taking a leading role nationally in mental health and prisons.