Health Inequalities Flashcards
Poor diet and smoking
E - people argue that healthy individuals make better choices which are healthier. If less healthy people changed their habits, then they would become healthier. A key part in determining our health is what we eat and drink, if someone eats unhealthy food and drinks too much they are probably going to be unhealthy
E- as we seen those in more affluent areas are less likely to obese than those in deprived areas. This could be due to diet, in 2021 Scotland 38% of adults in the most deprived areas were obese compared to 20% in the least deprived. Rates of deaths due to drug misuse is 5x higher in the most deprived areas and rates of deaths is due to alcohol are 4x higher in these areas
H - this argument is opposed by groups who argue that healthier food is more expensive, and due to shops being close in deprived areas and the development of out of town supermarkets, it is often quiete challenging for people living in poverty to get access so they have no choice but to mark poorer choices. According to alcohol change UK people on low incomes, drink less, on average than people on higher incomes
E - poor diets and drinking have more negative impacts on health of those from lower classes as they tend to have more unhealthy diets. However for those in lower classes, a poor diet is unavoidable as healthier food is much more expensive than unhealthy food which suggest income is a factor that impacts health and not down to an individual choice. Many use alcohol to escape from reality of living in poverty which could be seen essential for them even more important then there health
Smoking
E - another factor that can damage someone health is smoking. This is seen by many as a lifestyle choice, as no one is forcing these people to smoke. People also argue that this could be cultural. Despite smoking rates decreasing a huge amount across the UK as a whole, this decrease has been at a higher rate in richer social classes compared to poorer social class
E- an example of this can be seen in a 2021 yougov survey started by ASH which found that 34% of current smokers in higher classes group smoked 6 or fewer cigarettes per day compared to 24% in the lower social group. Long term smokers have an average a life expectancy that is 10 years shorter than non smokers
H - smoking majorly impacts the health of people in lower class more than those in higher class. This may not be because they enjoy smoking but because the cost of cigarettes is more for those in lower than higher classes as they have disposable income, so they smoke more. Quitting smoking may be very difficult for someone from a lower class as they can’t afford therapies to help them. Both suggest income has influence.
Housing
E - some people argue that health inequalities exist because of the houses people live in. They argue that poor quality housing can detrimental someone’s health both physically and mentally leading to increased levels of depression/ anxiety they also point out that poor quality housing is more expensive to heat which can lead to health problems mainly for old people.
E - the charity national energy action has estimated that the total number of household across the UK in fuel poverty increased from around 4M in summer 2020 to 6.7 million in October 2022/ these people will struggle to keep there house warm mainly during winter time leading to huge health problems and even death.
H - this argument is opposed by people who argue that simply improving the quality of housing will not immediately sole health problems. Most people living in poor quality housing are in lower social classes so may have other factors affecting their health such as drinking and smoking or poor diet. A 2021 study carried out in the UK found that the relationship between housing and health is complex as this is influenced by many other related factors such as income.
E - housing has negative impact on those in lower income as they are more likely to live in poor quality housing which can lead to health complications such as asthma, and extreme cases of death showing income plays a role. As those living in poor housing are living in poverty they may be factors negatively impacting their health overall not simply better housing
Treatment of disabled people
E - Some people argue that health inequalities exist because of the way disabled people are treated by the government. They argue that the UK government has prioritised getting disabled people into work rather than supporting them and that the test used by the government to declare people fit to work, the work capability assessment is forcing people into work leading to increased health problems
E- an example of this is in 2019 images of Stephen smith went viral, who at the time was 64 years old and suffered from lung disease and arthritis which means he weighed 6 stones, he was declared fit to work by the department for work in pensions, in 2017 and had to be given a pass to leave the hospital to fight his case. few months after wining the case he passed, his benefits were used to pay for his funeral. Since 2013 66% of people who were found fit to work had a verdict reversed on appeal
H - this argument is opposed by many individuals who rogue that the changes to the benefit system do not affect real disabled people, and only have an impact on fit and health people who are pretending to be disabled in order to get money for nothing. The party UKIP claimed in 2013 that “75% of incapacity benefits claimants are fit and healthy” and the government has insisted the WCA is essential to prevent benefit fraud
E - as the government heavily focus on getting people back into work through the WCA, disabled people are forced into work even if they are not fit enough to work which causes a further decline in their health and can lead to deaths however some argue this prevents Fraud but the vast majority are genuine claimants who suffer become minority
