4) Health Inequalities

Question 1

What methods can be used to measure health in different groups?

Answer 1

Life expectancy 
Mortality 
Census 
Self report 
Patient records

Question 2

How can socioeconomic position be measured?

Answer 2

Using Census data to calculate Socio-economic classification based on occupation (8 groups)
Also can calculate index of deprivation

Question 3

What trends are there with health and socioeconomic conditions?

Answer 3

More deprived a person is, larger proportion of their life will be spent in ill health and more likely they will die at a younger age

Question 4

What are the 6 explanations for health inequalities?

Answer 4

Artefact
Social selection 
Behavioural-cultural 
Materialist 
Psychosocial 
Income distribution

Question 5

What is the artefact explanation of health inequality?

Answer 5

Health inequalities are evident due to the way statistics are collected e.g. people self promote class on census

Question 6

What are the limitations of the artefact explanation?

Answer 6

Discredited

Data problems would lead to underestimation of inequalities

Question 7

What is the social selection explanation of health inequality?

Answer 7

Sick individuals move down social hierarchy, healthy individual move up. Chronically ill more likely to be disadvantaged

Question 8

What are the limitations of the social selection explanation?

Answer 8

Social selection only makes minor contribution

Diseases related to SE conditions often in children who cant move in hierarchy

Question 9

What is the behavioural-cultural explanation of health inequality?

Answer 9

Ill health is due to people’s choices, knowledge and goals

Disadvantaged backgrounds = more health damaging behaviours

Question 10

What are the limitations of the behavioural-cultural explanation?

Answer 10

Behaviours are outcomes of social processes, not simply individual choice
‘Choices’ may be difficult or rational for those in adverse conditions

Question 11

What is the materialist explanation of health inequality?

Answer 11

Inequalities arise from differential access to material resources e.g. low income, unemployment
Accumulation of factors across life course

Question 12

What is the psychosocial explanation of health inequality?

Answer 12

Psychosocial pathways acts in addition to direct effects of living standards
Some stressors are distributed on social gradient e.g. job security, neg. life events

Question 13

What is the income distribution explanation of health inequality?

Answer 13

Relative (not average) income affects health. Countries with greater income inequalities have greater health inequalities

Question 14

How are the income distribution and psychosocial explanations linked?

Answer 14

Increased income inequality = increased social evaluative threat = increased stress = poorer health

Question 15

Why is it difficult to measure access to healthcare?

Answer 15

Only measure who uses it, not those that want to but can’t access it

Question 16

What is inequality?

Answer 16

When things are different

Question 17

What is inequity?

Answer 17

Inequalities that are unfair and avoidable

Question 18

What is the link between deprived areas and access to types of healthcare?

Answer 18

More deprived areas have a higher use of GP and emergency services but under use of preventive and specialist services

Question 19

What are the reasons that more deprived areas have high rates of GP use by under use of preventative services?

Answer 19

Tendency to manage health as a series of crises
Normalisation of ill health 
Only see services if visibly ill 
GP allows access to social support 
Easy accessible services

Question 20

What diversity factors relate to health inequalities?

Answer 20

Ethnicity, gender, age, homelessness