Lecture 3 Economic & Political Influences on Health Flashcards
what is health determined by?
Where you are born Where you live How you are brought up Your life chances Your political voice Your family support
what are reasons for the social and economic gradient of health
Access to health care Environmental exposures The physical environment The social environment Health behaviours Life course factors
what else is a factor to health?
politics!
Cross-national variation in public health performance is shaped by a variety of political forces, including democracy, civil wars, international rivalries, and political inequalities resulting from ethnic cleavages and disparities in wealth.
“health policy”
All policies which have a direct bearing on health .. includes, among others, income security, employment, education, housing, business, agriculture, transportation, justice and technology
what policies, legislation and taxation in the uk aim to influence health?
early life social support unemployment work transport food and drink
how does early life influence health in the uk?
– peri-natal checks (e.g., apgar), immunization programmes, health monitoring (height and weight), but also free (ie government funded) early years education for 3 and 4 year olds, child protection legislation to keep children safefrom harmandactions to takeif a child is at risk. Children’s Act, legislation about adoption, fostering, sexual offences against children. And also laws which mean children no longer work down mines and in factories from their early years.
how does social supportinfluence health?
Equality Act, discrimination laws, legislation about asylum seeking and refugee status, mental health act, carer’s act, data protection, adult social care (note differences between Scotland and RUK on some of these), mental capacity act
how does unemployment influence health?
– benefits, schemes for getting people back into employment, and more proactive schemes to keep people from being unemployed like the grant to stay on at school given to some. Aim is to contain inequality.
how does transport influence health?
– speed limits, seat belts, child seats, switch to unleaded petrol, emissions laws, MOTs/roadworthiness, regulations applying to those selling cars, airbags, crash test safety ratings, front and side impact tests required for cars sold in the UK
how does food and drink influence health?
– baby milk subsidies, free school dinners (and in the past free school milk), Common Agricultural Policy (EU) provides subsidies to farmers producing certain crops and outputs such as crops for biofuels and milk production money, also subsidies for looking after land. Many countries talking about putting a tax on fatty and sugary foods, and subsidising health food, but few have done so to date (Denmark is exception); taxing alcohol and minimal price per unit.
what are the factors for access to healthcare?
Affordability
Accessibility
Acceptability
health is strongly influenced by:
the wealth and equality of the nation
political decisions/ policies on a broad range of issues
economic spend and control
legislation
