Health inequalities

Inequalities in health exist, whether measured in terms of mortality, life expectancy or health status; whether categorised by socioeconomic measures or by ethnic group or gender. Recent efforts to compare the level and nature of health inequalities in international terms indicate that Britain is generally around the middle of comparable western countries, depending on the socioeconomic and inequality indicators used. Although in general disadvantage is associated with worse health, the patterns of inequalities vary by …

…in 1975/76 to about 45 per cent in 1995/96. This measure of attainment varies not only by gender, but also by geographical area and by measures of deprivation. As well as looking at the future workforce and their qualifications, it is useful to look at the educational attainment of those presently of working age. In 1997, 16 per cent of men and 21 per cent of women of working age had no qualifications. There were also large differences between ethnic groups.