Lesson Starter

How can lifestyle choices lead to health inequalities?

What will I learn? • To identify the gender

and racial inequalities that exist in relation to health.

Success Criteria I can…

• Outline the inequalities that exist between men and women in relation to health.

• Outline the inequalities that exist between different ethnic groups in relation to health.

• List and explain the reasons for these inequalities.

•Explaining Gender Health Inequalities

•Women live longer than men by Women live longer than men by about 5 years but women have about 5 years but women have greater ill-health. Men have higher greater ill-health. Men have higher early death rates for almost all early death rates for almost all categories of death (but gap closing).categories of death (but gap closing).

• Men: take part in greater ‘risk-taking activities’ - generally smoke more, consume greater amounts of alcohol and eat more poorly, take part in dangerous sports and subject to more violence (‘ladette culture’ closing gap);

• Less likely to visit GP or take preventative care; do more physical/stressful manual labouring jobs. Women more likely to report illness at an earlier stage and therefore more likely to make use of their doctor.

• Pressures on men from social expectations and norms mean that they are more likely to suffer from health problems and death related to smoking, alcohol and fast driving.

• Women: biologically live longer therefore greater ill health as older; impact of having and bringing up children- physical and mental stress of caring for children and elderly relatives; poorer paid employment.

• More likely to be lone parents.

•Women’s traditional domestic responsibilities lead them to suffer from higher levels of anxiety

and depression compared to males, particularly if they are poor and are

lone parents. •Women are three times more likely than men to

be affected by depression.

•Explaining Gender

Inequalities

•Employment•Women with

children, middle-class women who

have paid employment suffer

less illness than women from the same class who

stay at home, while working class

women with a paid job have worse

health than those who don’t. •Biological Reasons

•Women’s role in reproduction can cause ill health.

•Poverty•Women are more likely to suffer from poverty and there is a link between poverty and ill health. The reasons can be linked to

women’s position in society. May have to accept low paid jobs, head

lone- parent families. •Income

•Women are twice as likely to live in

poverty. Life expectancy for women in the

poorest constituency is 75 compared to 82 for those in the most

affluent parts.

•What will I learn?

• To identify the link between ethnicity and health.

Success Criteria I can…

• Outline the inequalities that exist amongst different ethnic groups.

• List and explain the reasons for these inequalities.

• The UK’s ethnic The UK’s ethnic minority groups minority groups experience ill-health experience ill-health and life expectancy and life expectancy rates similar to Whites rates similar to Whites in terms of social in terms of social class, geographic class, geographic location and gender. location and gender.

• However, there are However, there are also differences in also differences in health e.g. Asians health e.g. Asians suffer more heart suffer more heart disease and disease and Asian/Africans more Asian/Africans more strokes. strokes.

Ethnicity and Health •Just as in the general population, poverty has an important impact on health in ethnic groups. •Those groups that have incomes closest to the white population average, such as Indians, Africans, Asians and Chinese record health levels close to those of the white population. •The groups that are poorest record significantly poorer levels of health. •For example, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi record health levels that are 50% worse than whites.

Disease and Diet• Ethnic minorities differ in their risk of suffering

from certain diseases. • Diabetes in particular is a problem for

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, who are more than five times more likely to suffer from it than white population.

• Pakistani and Bangladeshi men and women face a higher risk of heart disease than average whereas Chinese face a lower than average risk – due to diet.

• Many ethnic groups may have different diets because of cultural differences or to meet religious requirements.

Disease and DietCulture

•Culture has a significant impact on lifestyle choice. For example, The Muslim religion does not permit the consumption of alcohol.

Barriers to accessing health care

•Many members of the minority ethnic community fail to access health care because of poor English language skills. •Often without knowing interpreters, minorities have difficulty knowing what is available or explaining what the problem is. •There are also cultural barriers. Different groups in the community have different ways of dealing with ill health and this may not be understood by health care professionals in the UK.

I can…

• Identify the gender and racial inequalities that exist in relation to health.