B5 - Economic Factors that Affect Development Flashcards
Income and expenditure
Income is the amount of money that households receive. People with a low income and who experience poverty are most likely to suffer ill health and reduced opportunities for personal development.
A lack of income may mean a lack of resources and not being able to live in the minimum acceptable way of society. Household resources include clothing, food and housing. Those people without the means to pay for essential resources are deemed as living in absolute poverty. Some people can afford basic resources but not much else, this is known as relative poverty - as they are poor compared to the rest of people in society. A lack of resources may mean a person finds it hard to take part in the community. This can lead to social exclusion and the family becoming marginalised. Children born into families experiencing poverty may find it difficult to escape and become trapped in a situation that has a powerful effect on their confidence and self-esteem.
Research by the child poverty action group has highlighted that property is associated with higher risks of illness and premature death. Poorer health has an impact on life expectancy. For example, professional people on higher incomes live on average 8 years longer than unskilled workers on low wages. Children born in the poorest areas of the UK weigh on average 200g less than children who are born into wealthier families and have a higher risk of mortality at birth.
According to the trussell trust, there are 445 food banks in the UK. There has been a year-on-year increase in food bank usage since 2009. However, there is concern about the nutritional value of the food provided. An article in the guardian reported on research by Birmingham City University about the impact on families of using food banks long-term. The report identified that many food banks provided processed food (including tinned soup, meat, puddings and pasta sauce), rather than fresh products. This leads to an unbalanced diet. The long-term risks could be that children/families become deficient in fibre, calcium, iron and a variety of vitamins.
The economic resources that an individual/family has can have a major impact on their quality of life. A person’s weekly income and enables them to pay for their accommodation and to buy food and clothes. Income mainly comes from: wages from employment, profits from your business if you’re self-employed, benefits paid by the government, money from invested wealth (such as interest on bank accounts, bonds, etc), and money raised through the sale/rent of property you own.
Income is not distributed equally in the UK. According to the office for national statistics and the department of work and pensions, people in the bottom-earning 10% of the population have an average net annual income of £8,468, resulting in them. In comparison, the top earning 10% have an average annual income of £79,100. Research shows that households with an income that is less than 60% of the median income in the UK, are considered to be living in poverty. The median income compares low income families with those in the middle rather than the wealthiest, providing a truer picture of wealth distribution in contemporary society. Income can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing. Having sufficient income for their needs gives individuals more choice about their lifestyle, for instance to eat more healthily and take part in leisure activities.
Key groups who are likely to be on low income include: line-parent families, unemployed people, older people, sick people/disabled people, families with single-earners, and unskilled couples (where only one of the couple works and in unskilled employment).
The impact of low income
Paxton & Dixon (2004) found that children who grew up in poverty (in the 1970s) underachieved academically at school, were less likely to go to university/college, and 1 1/2 times more likely to go on to be unemployed as those who didn’t experience poverty as a child. They also earned 10% less over their lifetime. Paxton & Dixon point out the following disadvantages of poverty:
~ Property is associated with being a victim of crime.
~ Poorer communities are more likely to live in polluted areas.
~ Poorer people have an increased risk of dying young.
Employment status
Employment status is characterised by whether a person is in work or not, the type of work they do and the type of contract they have.
Being out of work is likely to mean that families live on a low income. According to the office for national statistics, 15.9% of households have no adults working. According to social trends, this results in 22% of children, about 2.9 million children in England and Wales, living in poverty.
According to the office for national statistics, the percentage of households in which an adult has never worked is 1.5%, and 1.5 million children were living in these households. Of all the regions in the UK, the north east of England has the highest percentage of households where no adult is working, with the south east having the lowest.
Even when in the work, the type of job can affect a person’s wellbeing. Work that is low paid, has low status and/or temporary put additional stress on the individuals which can lead to health ill health and possibly depression. Individuals are more likely to have low self-esteem. All types of work provide social interaction which is important for wellbeing. Work that has status, responsibility and is well paid and secure can boost health and wellbeing and result in high self-esteem. Research has shown that people who are in work are likely to be healthier both mentally and physically.
Education
According to the department for education, by the age of 3, children from poorer families are estimated to be about nine months behind children from wealthier families, and, by 14, children from poorer families are nearly a year and a half behind. Children from poorer families do less well in GCSEs, achieving nearly 2 grades lower in the GCSE results. Generally, children from poor backgrounds fall behind at all stages of their education.
People with few/no qualifications are more likely to be unemployed/employed in low-paid work. This can lead to low self-image. A good education brings wider career and lifestyle choices. In adulthood, individuals are more likely to earn a higher salary and have more job satisfaction. This can lead to positive self-image and high self-esteem. Of course, some ‘high-flying’ jobs are high pressured which can lead to stress.
Peer groups
As a child becomes more independent, for example after starting nursery school, they begin to learn a lot about social relationships, especially when they start to learn with other children. By the time a young person reaches adolescence, peer groups become very important and influential. For example, attitudes and beliefs might be copied from other young people, especially if they have similar interests. Peer groups also provide a second source of social learning (secondary socialisation) after the family (which provides primary socialisation).
Values and attitudes
Beliefs, values and attitudes are influenced by how an individual experiences primary/secondary socialisation with family, carers and peer groups. Values and attitudes are also influenced by life experiences (issues like bullying and discrimination) and the culture that an individual is brought up in and the community in which they live. Social networking and access to information found on the internet is becoming increasingly influential, particularly for adolescents. It can have a huge impact on an individual’s values, attitudes and life choices and is often blamed for poor choices and unsocial behaviour.
Lifestyle
Your lifestyle represents the way you choose to spend your time and money. To some extent, your lifestyle is something that you choose. Your choices will be limited by the money that you have an influence by your culture and the people in your life. People on low income is have a limited choices. Most people develop habits connected to diet, exercise of alcohol use. Many people never actively choose the lifestyle, it happened because of the stress of life events or economic pressure and it can be difficult to choose without support.
Nutrition and dietary choices
Some people may choose to eat a diet that includes fatty, salty or sugary foods/drinks. But others may eat an unhealthy diet because of convenience and cost. Some authors argue the convenience food that has a high fat, salt or sugar content can be cheaper and easier to prepare than healthy alternatives.
A healthy diet has a balance of the carbohydrates, protein, nutrients, fats and fibre that a body needs for health and wellbeing. Deficiencies in diet may affect The health and development of bones, organs and muscles and slow the healing process. Unhealthy diets may also result in obesity that puts increased pressure on the joints and organs and may lead to heart disease and arthritis. Changes in diet can reduce the risk of health conditions such as diabetes in later life.
Exercise
Regular exercise is essential for development. It helps a person to maintain a healthy weight and is important for the skeleton, maintaining mobility and heart function. Regular exercise can also impact on a person’s feeling of wellbeing, reducing the likelihood of mental health problems. The department of health refers to lack of any exercise as a ‘silent killer’ as it significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Use/misuse of substance
It is accepted that any substance misuse can affect health and may lead to addiction. While substances may cause short-term effects that make people feel good for a while, they will quickly ‘come down’ from the effects and feel low. There are significant negative effects on the body in both the short and long term.
Drug use
Cannabis is sometimes used for a calming affect but the side-effect is that it affects brain function – affecting thinking. It has even been linked with mental health problems, including schizophrenia. If smoked, cannabis can cause respiratory problems or even lung cancer if used with tobacco. Cocaine may give an energy boost but will result in the person feeling unwell and depressed when the effect wears off. Cocaine overstimulates the heart which can lead to a heart attack/even death. Ecstasy and speed can make individuals feel more alert but, in the long term, have detrimental effects. Ecstasy can impact on memory and cause depression, and speed can affect blood pressure and cause heart attacks.
Alcohol
The department of health (2006) recommend that adults should not consume more than 14 units of alcohol a week spread over several days – with some days alcohol free. Social trends states that 65% of men and 49% of women reported drinking more than the recommended limits in 2007. Statistics also show that 32% of young men and 24% of young women have a lifestyle that involves heavy drinking. The guidelines from the department of health state that no level of alcohol consumption is risk free because research has shown a correlation between alcohol consumption and increased risk of health problems, particularly in incidence of cancer of the throat, mouth and breasts. Drinking over the recommended limit brings with it a higher risk of heart disease, liver disease and bowel cancer. Binge drinking can result in unintended effects as individuals often behave differently and take more risks. This can result in accidents or unprotected intercourse. Alcohol abuse is a major factor in domestic abuse.
Tobacco
Smoking can have a detrimental affect on health. Smoking can affect all the organs of the body but causes a particular problem for the lungs. It is the cause of most cases of lung cancer. Smoking significantly increases the risk of coronary heart disease, strokes, and lung disease (including cancer, emphysema and chronic bronchitis). Smoking can also affect children in the family who and how nicotine and the unborn baby have a mother who smokes.
