Social Inequality in Health Flashcards
Where do social inequalities stem from and are they unavoidable?
Social inequalities are structured social divisions that exist within societies
Are social inequalities unavoidable?
NO - they do not reflect biological differences and thus are not inevitable or unavoidable
What are examples of social inequalities/divisions and what these divisions can lead to?
- Differences in socio-economic class
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- These divisions can lead to differential ‘life chances’ in education, career and health
What is health inequality vs inequity?
Health inequality: differential health outcomes, i.e. mortality and morbidity rates linked to social and economic inequalities
Health inequity refers to the unequal distribution of resources between different pop. groups, causing different access levels to services
NOTE: The NHS is formally a formally equitable service, but differences in access do arise reflecting differences in education, culture, time-rich resources, region of residence, etc
What is the relationship between health inequality and inequity?
The differences between the concept of health inequality and that of health inequity is to be noted – they are linked but not interchangeable concepts
How is socioeconomic class measured?
Currently, since 2001, by the National statistics social economic class (NS SEC):
What is the socio-economic model of health?
- Social and economic conditions have major effects on patterns of health and disease
- These factors = social determinants
- Therefore relative health risk relates to
SE/class position
How is educational attainment and employment linked with health behaviours and outcomes?
Low attainment may impact future quality of work, earnings, crime involvement, morbidity and death
Employment=one of most important determinants of physical and mental health in individuals
Children growing up in workless households are almost 2x likely to fail at all stages of education compared with children growing up in working families
Non-white groups have higher work stress–> bad outcomes - Marmot
How are living standards/income linked with health behaviours and outcomes?
Health outcomes improve incrementally as income rises
A parent’s income influences a child’s early development & educational opportunities
This in turn can affect a child’s employment opportunities and their income
What other social determinants impact health?
Poor quality/cramped housing
Environment: access to green space, obesity, mental health, air pollution. Linked to deprivation/ethnicity
Transport: deprived children 4x more likely to be killed/injured in road accidents
Epigenetics: relatively new but strong – lifecourse perspective E.g. excess caloric intake in generation
Why are health inequalities persisting?
Although life expectancy has increased, it has INCREASED health gaps between wealthy and deprived areas, and between classes
This is because health risks cluster and accumulate; associated with social disadvantage
Inequalities in health should therefore be seen as occurring across a social gradient, rather than being an outcome for only those living in a situation of social deprivation
What is the psycological stress theory?
Psychological stress theory argues that social anxiety about status produces biological stress mediated by a range of psychological factors
If so, inequality is harmful because it places people in a hierarchy which increases competition for status, causing stress and leading to poor health and other negative outcomes (Rowlingson:2011)
What would you expect the difference in life expectancy to be between the 5 quintiles of deprivation in the UK? Why?
Would expect to see a gradient in LE across the 5 groups, with most deprived being lowest but also each group being lower than the other (the social gradient in health)
Because health inequalities occur across a social gradient; accepted social risk factors cluster together, accumulate and interact with one another
So income inequality correlates with Socio economic factors. May also produce health inequalities independently of SE stuff – corrosive effect of inequality and relative deprivation on health via psychosocial mechanisms
