Health inequalities Flashcards
Background info
It was reported that as of April 2024, Scots have officially the lowest life expectancy in Western Europe. Why this is, is a hotly contested issue in contemporary Scotland. It cannot be ignored that there are various lifestyle choices that many Scots choose to engage which damages their health. Similarly, one cannot ignore the impact that socio-economic circumstances can have on those most deprived communities and their health.
List of factors
This essay will explore many factors that cause health inequalities in Scotland such as smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and exercise, gender, drug consumption and poverty.
Line of argument
Ultimately, this essay will conclude that whilst there are indeed some factors which are more statistically important than others in causing health inequalities it is in fact the intersectionality of these factors which is most significant in causing ill health.
Point one
One lifestyle choice that can be blamed for the ill-health of the population is smoking.
Point one explain
Smoking tobacco products is a crucial factor in causing ill-health of the population. Smoking is an addiction that has been linked to numerous diseases such as lung disease, cancer and even premature death. It is widely undisputed that those who engage in smoking tobacco and nicotine products will, on average, die younger than those who do not.
Point one example
The significance of smoking on health can be exemplified by ASH (2023) who reported that there are over 9,000 smoking related deaths in Scotland every year.
Point one analysis
This would suggest that considering that smoking accounts for a 5th of all deaths in Scotland, smoking arguably must be more significant that some other factors in causing health inequalities.
Point two/rebuttal
However, many people argue that alcohol is a more significant factor than smoking compared to alcohol.
Point two explain
This is because alcohol consumption is also an addiction which can negatively impact people’s health. Alcohol causes many health issues such as cancer, fertility issues and liver failure. It is widely agreed that those who engage in problematic drinking patterns will, on average, die earlier than those who don’t.
Point two example
This is made clear by statistics showing that on average 1,276 people die due to their alcohol consumption. This is further backed up with around 40 Scots a week die due to alcohol related deaths.
Point two analysis
This would suggest, that considering the death rate of people who engage in problematic drinking behaviours that it must be a more significant factor than smoking.
Point two link
Although it cannot be ignored that both smoking and alcohol consumption are significant factors in causing health inequalities in the population. Smoking has more of an effect on health as there is no safe limit on how much nicotine/tobacco products one can consume. However, in a week, an average person may consume up to 14 units with no adverse effects. This is further backed up due to the death toll of smoking compared to alcohol, approximately 7,000 more people die due to smoking related deaths than alcohol (9,000-1,276).
Point three
One factor that causes health inequalities in Scotland is poor diet.
Point three explain
Engaging in unhealthy eating patterns is an undisputed cause of poor health. Poor diet has been linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes and strokes.
Poor diet is a cause of health inequality as especially in the most deprived areas, access to nutritional and “healthy” foods is significantly reduced than those from the least deprived and access to facilities hat help better a person’s health such as the gym is also reduced.
Point three example
For example, obesity is the second biggest cause of cancer behind smoking and is expected to take over in the near future. This is backed up by 1 in every 20 adult cancer cases being linked to the patient being obese
Point three analysis
This would suggest that considering obesity is going to become the biggest cause of preventable cancer, it must be a more significant factor than others in causing health inequalities in Scotland.
Point four/rebuttal
However, some people argue that gender is in fact more significant that poor diet in causing health inequalities.
Point four explain
This is because health is a gendered issue with a lot more research being placed into men’s healthcare compared to women’s. Men’s mental health is also a taboo in society, and this causes suicide to be the leading cause of death of those under 50 in the U.K.
Point four example
This is proved by men in the least deprived areas living an average of 1.2 years longer than women (23.8-22.6) and it takes medical professionals 10 years to diagnose female specific health issues such as endometriosis.
Point four analysis
Due to the life expectancy difference of those in the least deprived areas of Scotland, this is why some people argue that gender is a more significant factor in causing health inequalities compared to poor diet.
Point four link
While both poor diet and gender are both significant factors of health inequality, it cannot be ignored that gender is a larger factor in causing health inequalities as less research has been placed into equal healthcare and it also has a higher death toll, especially for men, than poor diet does.
Point five
One factor that people argue causes health inequality is drug consumption.
Point five explain
Much like smoking/alcohol consumption, drug consumption is also an addiction which can lead to health inequalities by causing adverse effects such as gum diseases, mental health issues and heart problems. It is also widely recognised that people who engage in consuming drugs, will, on average, die younger than those who do not.
Point five example
This is proven by Scotland long having the highest drug deaths across the whole of Europe and this is backed up by the National Survey Scotland in 2020, which found that 1,339 people died due to drugs.
