Health Inequalities

Question 1

What are inequalities in health?

Answer 1

Systematic variations in health outcomes experienced by different groups of people within the population

Question 2

In which ways is the general public in the UK split?

Answer 2

Socioeconomic factors

Personal characteristic

Geography

Question 3

What is Inequity?

Answer 3

Inequity refers to those inequalities which are unnecessary and avoidable & can be considered unfair and unjust

Question 4

What are the steps in studying health inequalities in epidemiology?

Answer 4

1. What is our research question?
2. What is our health outcome of interest?
3. What is the driver of inequality we want to study?
4. How have drivers of inequality been measured in the datasets we’re using? Is this adequate?

Question 5

What is SEP?

Answer 5

Socioeconomic position?

Question 6

What are the individual level indicators of SEP?

Answer 6

Childhood

Young adulthood

Active professional life

Retirement

Question 7

Why are area-based indicators of SEP?

Answer 7

In the absence of individual-level data or because of a focus on place-based effects.

Question 8

How are area-based indicators of SEP selected?

Answer 8

Standardised scales and indices employed based on small geographical areas.

Question 9

What standardised scales are used in area based indicators of SEP?

Answer 9

Jarman

Carstairs

Townsend

Index of multiple deviation (IMD)

Question 10

How are the area based indicators of SEP compared?

Answer 10

Each area is given a composite score based on a range of demographic factors

Individuals are assigned scores from the area they live in.

Question 11

What is the index of multiple deprivation?

Answer 11

The Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) is a measure of relative deprivation in England.

IMD classifies small, fixed geographic areas in England into five quintiles based on relative disadvantage, with quintile 1 being the most deprived and quintile 5 being the least deprived.

Question 12

What are the 7 domains of IMD?

Answer 12

Income

Employment

Education

Health

Crime

Barriers to housing and services

Living Environment

Question 13

What is the loD2019?

Answer 13

Indices of Deprivation of 2019

Question 14

How can the loD2019 be used?

Answer 14

Comparing small areas

Identifying most deprived

Exploring the domains

Comparing larger areas

Question 15

What is the potential limitation of using area-based measures of SEP to study health inequalities?

Answer 15

Ecological measures

Where we reside is only one component

Diverse neighbourhoods

Potential confounding