Social Inequalities- Essay 2 - Health Flashcards
Health Inequalities - Intro
Some would argue that poverty is a major cause of health inequality and also how men feel unable to speak about their problems though others would argue that in fact it comes down to experiencing poverty that matters more. Ultimately , this response will argue that how poverty pushes people to drink, smoke and toxic masculinity to be a greater contributor to poor health in the UK
Smoking (Paragraph 1)
It can be argued that poor health is a choice made by those who decide to smoke.Smoking is an addiction and it has been linked to very serious diseases such as lung disease, cancer and early death. The choice to start and then continue to smoke makes it significantly more likely that someone will suffer from poor health.The harm linked to smoking is very serious with ASH Scotland (Scotland’s Anti -Smoking Charity) finding that there are almost 10,000 smoking-related deaths in Scotland each year (16% of all deaths) and around 100,000 smoking related hospital admissions each year.Clear the choices that these smokers make means many more people are dying than need to in Scotland and subsequently costing a lot of money in health services.Arguably this harm comes down to more than choice and poverty needs to be considered.Those who live in more deprived areas are more likely to smoke suggesting poverty might have a role to play. For some poorer people smoking might help suppress their hunger as an alternative to spending money on food. Wealthier people are also better able to afford the cost of anti-smoking support.By 2021, 32% of adults living in the most deprived areas of Scotland smoke compared to only 6% of those in the least deprived areas in scotland.Clearly there seems to be a strong link between being in poverty and smoking suggesting that smoking related harm is very much connected to deprivation.As argued, smoking is a choice and it causes significant harm, but the fact that the poorest in our country are most likely to smoke suggests it is living in deprivation that is more harmful than lifestyle choice and therefore poverty is the significant factor contributing to health inequalities.
Alcohol ( Paragraph 2)
It can be argued that, like smoking, people choose to damage their health by drinking alcohol.The more someone drinks the more likely they are to suffer from poor health such as cirrhosis of the liver and high blood pressure. It has also been shown to cause cancer, fertility problems and damage the immune system. Alcohol consumption is much higher in Scotland than in England which suggests it’s a cultural choice. According to Health Scotland, Alcohol linked deaths in Scotland are nearly 2x the rate of those in England for men and around 1.9x (90%) higher for Scottish women. Alcohol is a big part of Scottish culture but one that is causing a lot of harm. Unfortunately, there is a clear link between alcohol-specific deaths and deprivation. Some of the most deprived parts of Glasgow have more visible problems with alcohol abuse. This may be because alcohol is often abused by people who may wish to escape their problems or deal with stress and people who are more deprived often have higher levels of physical & mental health problems, poverty and debt problems to deal with.The alcohol-specific death rates were more than 4x higher for the poorest 10% in Scotland than for the richest 10%. Considering how much more likely poorer people are likely to die due to alcohol than those who are wealthier suggests that poverty and alcohol related harm are highly connected. Clearly Scottish culture with alcohol and peoples choice to participate in it is damaging their health however the levels of poverty in Scotland seem much more damaging than our culture and therefore is the most significant cause of health inequalities.
Toxic Masculinity ( Paragraph 3 )
Many men chose to act in a way that may be harmful to their health. Known as “Toxic Masculinity” this is when men act tough and show little emotion or indication that they are suffering. Many men will choose to ignore or not acknowledge their problems so as to seem strong. This would explain why men are significantly less likely to seek help from the doctor and have higher rates of suicide. According to Health Scotland just over 75% of suicides in Scotland are by men who take their own lives. The stark contrast between in the suicide rate suggest that the pressures on men to act strong is costing them their lives. Sadly, poverty may be making the suicide rate of men much worse. Traditional gender stereotypes also expect men to be the breadwinner or primary worker in a family. For those men experiencing poverty this expectation to provide might add more pressure onto their mental health if they fail to do so. Health Scotland annual statistics make clear that in the 5 years up to 2020 people in the most deprived parts of Scotland were 3x more likely to take their own lives. The fact that those in poverty are much more likely to die suggests that poverty pressures are putting a big strain on people’s mental health generally and men’s lives in particular. Gender stereotypes can be harmful to men and women across our society but the pressures of poverty can make this harm worse and is indeed life threatening. Therefore poverty is the most prevalent contributor towards health inequalities.
Health inequalities - Conclusion
As set out living in poverty will increase health inequalities because with growing stresses people living in poverty will go to all means to feel better. Ultimately however, this response shows that living in poverty will put people at greater risk of experiencing health inequalities in the UK because of the abuse of smoking and alcoholism as well as poor mental health in males.
