health

• Poverty - Healthy behaviours can feel unattainable for those in poverty. It is 3 times more expensive to get the energy we need from healthy foods than unhealthy foods.

  With 1 in 5 children in Scotland living in poverty, it is easy to deduce that many families are unable to afford to feed their children an optimal healthy diet, leading to various health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and nutritional deficiencies.
• Poverty - Avg. cost of attending a clinic appointment is £35.

  Families have reported missing paediatric appointments due to the financial costs of attending one (travel, parking, food, childcare costs and potential loss in earnings.)

  Low-income families may also be experiencing digital exclusion, where households may not have a smartphone or internet access and are unable to book appointments with a GP as a result.
• Lifestyle choices - Considered the leading cause of health inequality, it kills 13,500 people annually in Scotland, but it causes many more people to have poor health.

  Smoking causes 90% of lung cancer cases and is linked to over 50 other medical conditions.

  Social class DE are far more likely to smoke than any other class and this is true of both men and women.
• Lifestyle choices - The legislation stated that cigarettes must be sold in plain, standardised packs, with graphic health warnings covering 65% of the front and back of the packaging.

  Led to: 15% of current smokers looking at ways to quit since the introduction of plain packaging, perhaps suggesting a decrease in smoking as a reason for health inequalities.

  
  

  However, the sales price of leading cigarettes increased by almost 5% in the 18 months after the legislation was introduced, meaning that those who are socially deprived were the ones primarily affected by the policy.
• Health inequalities are unfair and avoidable differences in health across the population, and between different groups within society. These include how long people are likely to live, the health conditions they may experience and the care that is available to them.