Reasons Why Health Inequality Exists

Question 1

Diet

Answer 1

Up to 30% of cancers are linked to processed food, red meat and high sugar intake

By 2043 obesity will kill more women than smoking

Obesity affects deprived children most. 13% of children are obese in least deprived areas compared to 31.3% in most deprived areas

Question 2

Smoking

Answer 2

Smoking is the most prevalent cause of cancer, linked to 50% of deaths by 12 different cancers. Causes 13,000 deaths in Scotland per year

36% of those in most deprived areas smoke compared to 11% least deprived

Those who live in social housing try to quit and use stop smoking support at higher rates than smokers in other housing types, however tend to be more heavily addicted and have greater barriers to quitting such as stress related to material hardship

Question 3

Alcohol/Drugs

Answer 3

Causes 3% of cancers, linked to 7 different types

Alcohol consumption is 25% higher in Scotland than the rest of the UK. Drug deaths in Scotland are the highest in Europe

Links to poverty as all social classes drink to excess, but the lower classes are 11 times more at risk of disease

Question 4

Gender

Answer 4

The UK loses 150 million working days due to women’s poor health and lack of suitable support

Young women are more likely to experience poor mental health. 26% of women compared to 9.1% of young men