Modern studies health inequalities

• Poverty


  People living in poverty are more likely to live in poor conditions
• Poverty


  Can result in people living in damp, which is known to cause illness that lead to premature death
• Poverty


  People may not be able to change or improve their living conditions by moving house
• Poverty


  People may not live in a good area with space for regular outside activity, as it is unsafe or simply unavailable
• Poverty


  People may not have access to healthy food as there aren't any shops selling it in the area due to the increasing price of fruit and vegetables
• Health inequality example


  • A man living in Lenzie Glasgow (affluent area) has a life expectancy of around 72 years, in contrast a man living in Carlton (deprived area) has a life expectancy of around 54 years
• Lifestyle choices


  One factor that is the cause of health inequalities
• Smoking


  Causes many detrimental health conditions, particularly long-term health conditions
• Smoking and alcohol consumption rates

  Have been consistently higher among the poorest groups for a number of years
• Stress of living on a low income


  Can affect the health of children who are growing up in the home with a smoker, making them more likely to suffer health conditions and become addicted to smoking
• Stress of paying rent from living in poverty


  Encourages people to smoke as a coping mechanism, getting them addicted and negatively affecting their health and wellbeing
• Smoking prevalence example


  • In 2017, 35% of adults in deprived areas of Scotland were smokers compared to only 10% from affected areas
• In 2021, 11% of adults (11% of women and 12% of men) aged 16 years and over were cigarette smokers in Scotland
• Over the past 40 years, smoking prevalence among adults has declined across Great Britain
• Geographical location/environment


  One cause of health inequality in the UK
• Poor quality, damp and cold housing


  Affects health in a number of ways - it may lead to more common ailments such as colds, infections and flus, especially affecting younger children who are more vulnerable to health conditions and children already with pre-existing health conditions, particularly children with respiratory problems
• Housing quality example


  • Children living in damp homes reported breathing difficulty and almost half of the children with asthma are from the poorest 10% of households
• Gender


  One cause of health inequality, especially for women
• Women on average have a higher life expectancy than men


  But they suffer more illness and severe health conditions than men throughout their lives
• Breast cancer is more common in women

  But the recovery rate is far higher than for lung cancer as the medical field has lack of research in specialisation of women's health and health issues
• Smoking habits of women in the last 25 years


  Are causing concern and it is feared the numbers of females with lung cancer will still rise
• Poverty negatively affects people's lives


  And more women are more likely to live in poverty due to working part time jobs and the gender pay gap
• Women make up 80% of people with osteoporosis, 75% of patients with autoimmune diseases


  And they are more likely to die from strokes
• Women's health example


  • In the UK 70% of those aged 75+ are women. Since elderly suffer more ill health than younger age groups it's no surprise women should have higher morbidity Rates.
• Democratic participation in China

  • Voting
  • Protesting
  • Media
  • Joining political parties
• Voting in China


  1. Citizens over 18 can vote

  2. Secret ballot

  3. Candidates must be approved by Local Election Committee
• Voting in China


  • Village elections
  • Hong Kong 'One Country, Two Systems'
• Democratic participation through voting in China

  Improving democratic representation of citizens
• Democratic participation through voting in China


  Many citizens cannot vote, elections suspected to be controlled by government
• Protesting in China


  1. Citizens have right to protest

  2. Must apply for permission

  3. Restricted to non-political issues

  4. Protests often met with force
• Protests in China


  • Wukan Village Protest 2012
• Democratic participation through protesting in China

  Improving democratic representation of citizens
• Democratic participation through protesting in China


  Protests must be non-political and approved, often result in violence and arrests
• Media in China


  • Largest newspaper market in the world
  • Media tightly controlled by government
  • Investigative journalism driven to extinction
  • Government directs reporting of news
• Media in China


  • Weibo social media platform
  • Criticism on social media leading to government officials resigning
• Democratic participation through media in China

  Improving democratic representation of citizens
• Democratic participation through media in China


  All TV media state controlled, internet heavily censored and monitored
• Joining political parties in China

  1. Citizens have right to join

  2. CPC is largest party, difficult to join

  3. Only around 7% of population are CPC members

  4. CPC members have high social status and privileges
• Political parties in China

  • Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
  • Chinese Democratic Party
  • China Zhi Gong Dang
• Democratic participation through joining political parties in China

  Improving democratic representation of citizens