low income - factor 1 in healthy inequality

health inequality FACTOR 1: LOW INCOME

Low income causes health inequalities:

Having an adequate income can help people in a number of ways, especially in giving them more of a sense of control over their own health. As they have a financial safety net, they can access extra resources, afford to adopt and maintain healthy behaviours, pay for high quality housing, and avoid the mental health issues that can come from stress about poor health.

21% of people in Scotland were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2019-22. In 2009-12, the level was 18%, showing that the poverty rate has steadily increased by 3% over the last decade and continues to affect health.

The gap in life expectancy between the richest 20% and poorest 20% of the UK is 12 years. For Scotland, this figure rises to 18 years.

The poorest teenagers in the UK are 70% more likely to visit A&E than their wealthier counterparts.

Low income leads to poor housing which causes further health inequalities:

Those who are poorer are more likely to live in poor quality housing. If we live in warm, secure and well cared for housing then we are less likely to suffer from poor health.

Many health conditions such as asthma can be affected by damp or dangerous mould that is more likely to be present in poor quality homes where people may not be able to afford to keep the heating on.

Poor housing conditions have a long-term impact on health, increasing the risk of severe ill-health or disability by up to 25% during childhood and early adulthood.

The poor state of a house may also cause a lot of stress which could damage a person’s mental health - poorer people are more likely to live in the private rented sector as there are few council houses and they can’t afford to save deposits needed to buy. This can mean that their housing is more likely to be of a poor quality and this can also add to their stress.

Adults in the poorest 20% of the population experience worse physical health than those who are better off, and are much more likely to experience depression and anxiety than the rest of the population (almost 25% for the poorest compared to around 10% for the richest).

Low income leads to a poor diet which causes health inequalities:

Those in poverty are less able to afford a healthy and nutritious diet required for good health. Those who are in poverty are much less likely to be able to buy enough fruit or vegetables to meet this recommendation.

Poverty may force people to prioritise spending money on high calorie, filling food that is cheaper, yet ultimately less healthy.

Only 15% of people in the poorest 5th in the UK eat the recommendation for fruit and vegetables a day, compared to around 40% of the richest 5th.

As of 2022, healthy nutritious food is nearly three times more expensive than unhealthy products, with more healthy foods costing an average of £8.51 for 1,000 calories compared to just £3.25 for 1,000 calories of less healthy foods.