2)Health Inequalities

Question 1

How can socioeconomic status be measured?

Answer 1

Individual occupation

Area in which people live

Question 2

How is health measured?

Answer 2

Life expectancy

Infant mortality

Question 3

What are the 7 domains of the Index of Multiple Deprivation?

Answer 3

Income, employment, health and disability, education skills and training, barriers to housing and services, living environment and crime

Question 4

What are the patterns you would expect to see comparing people of different SE positions?

Answer 4

The lower the SE status the lower the life expectancy and higher infant mortality:
- Low SE= high infant mortality, low life expectancy
- High SE= low infant mortality, high life expectancy
(Inversely proportional)

Question 5

Identify the 6 explanations, theories and pathways involved in health inequalities.

Answer 5

1. Artefact
2. Social selection
3. Behavioural-cultural
4. Materialist
5. Psychosocial
6. Income distribution

Question 6

Which explanations are part of the Black Report?

Answer 6

Artefact, social selection, behavioural-cultural, materialist

Question 7

Briefly describe the artefact explanation

Answer 7

Health inequalities are evident due to the way the statistics are collected.
Mostly discredited as an explanation.
If anything, data problems lead to underestimation of inequalities.

Question 8

What is the direction of causation outlined in the social selection explanation?

Answer 8

Direction of causation is from health to social position.
Sick individuals move down social hierarchy, healthy individuals move up.
Chronically ill and disabled people are more likely to be disadvantaged.

Question 9

What does the B-C explanation state is the cause of ill health?

Answer 9

Ill health is due to people’s choices/decisions, knowledge and goals
(people from disadvantaged backgrounds more likely to engage in more health damaging behaviours: smoking, frequent fast-food consumption, high alcohol consumption, low exercise)

Question 10

What are the limitations of the BC explanation?

Answer 10

• behaviours are outcomes of social processes, not simply individual choice
• choices difficult to exercise in adverse conditions
• choices may be rational for those whose lives are constrained by their lack of resources

Question 11

Which is the most plausible explanation?

Answer 11

Materialist

Question 12

What does the materialist explanation claim causes health inequalities?

Answer 12

Arise form differential access to material resources (low income, unemployment, work environments, low control over job, poor housing conditions)
Lack of choice in exposure to hazards
Accumulation of factors across life-course

Question 13

Psychosocial pathways act in addition to ________ effects of absolute material living standards.

Answer 13

Answer= Direct

Data from Whitehall studies indicates social gradient of psychosocial factors

Question 14

How does stress impact on health?

Answer 14

• direct (physiological, immune system)
• indirect (health related behaviours, mental health)

Links to bio psychosocial model

Question 15

Outline the income distribution theory. Use an example

Answer 15

Relative (not average) income affects health
Countries with greater income inequalities have greater health inequalities—- not the richest, but the most egalitarian societies that have the best health overall.
Uk is in the top 3 for income inequalities- severely impacts health prospects

Question 16

Outline the use of redistributive policies

Answer 16

R policies- reduce income inequalities in a society and can improve social well-being, and many other health and social factors (ie minimum wage system, tax system)

Question 17

What are health inequalities?

Answer 17

Unfair and avoidable differences in health and healthcare amongst different groups of people and communities.

Question 18

What are the patterns to access of healthcare in deprived groups?

Answer 18

• use higher rate of GP services (primary) and emergency services (secondary)
• engage with fewer preventative measures (screening) and specialist services

Question 19

Outline some findings of the Marmot review 2010

Answer 19

• poorer neighbourhoods=higher mortality
• spend higher proportion of life with a disability
• people lower SES tend to have poorer health
• health inequalities are largely preventable

Question 20

Outline findings of the 2020 Marmot Review

Answer 20

• health gap has grown

- life expectancy declined in the poorest 10% of women