Tag Archives: Health and Wellbeing

Societies and Lifestyles, society and lifestyle

Stress Hardiness

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There are many factors that can contribute to poor health. Upon reading the Pengilly & Dowd (2000) article on Stress Hardiness I discovered the main 5 factors that can negatively impact a person’s health: Normative and non-normative transitions, lack of social support, loneliness and lack of human contact.

Firstly, normative life transitions which are major life events that are predictable such as moving house, moving in with a partner and retirement. These changes, since they were planned or expected, cause some stress but does not cause long term damage as opposed to non-normative transitions. These are life events which are unpredictable for example unemployment or divorce. These events can have a massive impact on a person’s life and can cause increase stress levels which can lead to serious health issues such as heart disease. Another factor that can negatively affect someone’s health is a lack of social support. Having a person when they need someone to talk to can be extremely beneficial and lower stress levels. This can be a family member, friend, colleague, support/religious group or a professional. If someone does not have that support, then they will not receive encouragement and will increase the pressure they put on themselves. This can cause low self-confidence and depression which can lead to a low life expectancy. This links to the next factor: loneliness. Following the lecture, we determined that being alone and being lonely can mean two different things. Being alone does not mean one is lonely, it means one is by one’s self. However lonely means a person a person feels alone even though they could be surrounded by people. This can have a negative effect on a person and lead to risky behaviours such as alcohol and drug abuse and can lead to metal illnesses such as depression. The final factor I am going to discuss is lack of human contact which is crucial for a healthy lifestyle. This can vary from a hug or a simple pat on the back and can reduced blood pressure and stress levels. If someone is lacking in human touch, then they cannot receive the advantages.

However, in the lecture we discussed methods to cope with the stress including exercising, getting enough sleep, balancing your time well and developing close relationships with positive people. These can all be carried out daily and can contribute to a healthier, less stressful lifestyle.

Societies and Lifestyles, society and lifestyle

Are Scottish People “unhealthy”?

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Are Scottish people unhealthy? It is a fair question. In a country famed for snacks like shortbread, tablet and deep fried mars bars (disgusting, I know) and drinks like Irn Bru it would be understandable to assume that Scottish people are unhealthy. Studies show 97.5 per cent of Scots are likely to be either cigarette smokers, heavy drinkers, fat, have a bad diet, and never do any exercise. This has gained us the unlucky title of the “Sick Man” of Europe. Our own culture has given us this title.

Perhaps the blame cannot be placed on our culture. The government recognised that Scottish Primary Schools should have two hours per week and two periods per week form S1-S4. But is this enough and does pupils continue to exercise after S4? Perhaps if Gym memberships and diet plans were cheaper more people would indulge in these advantages. Perhaps it has become too convenient for us to rush to fast food restaurants or order take away meals. There are many factors that could have led to Scotland becoming known as the “Sick Man” of Europe. Relating to my previous blog post, the Glasgow effect might come into play here. The Glasgow Effect states that people from deprived areas of Glasgow and surrounding areas suffer from poor health and early death.

However, is it fair to generalize and say Scottish people are unhealthy? Personally, I don’t think so. It is impossible to say all Scottish people are unhealthy. In my small hometown alone there are at least four Gyms and weekly weight watchers meetings as well as numerous woodland walks and access to a running track. Even gaming consoles, namely the Nintendo Wii, has exercising games such as Wii Sport and Wii fit. So, is there any reason for Scots lacking in exercise? Maybe not.

Therefore, I don’t think that one can say for definite that Scottish people are unhealthy as it is just another generalisation like all Scots wear kilts and chase haggis. For me, it is impossible to give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer but I do believe as a nation we can become more healthy if we cut down on cigarette smoking, binge drinking and eating fatty/unhealthy foods and exercise more often.

health and well-being, society and lifestyle

The Glasgow Effect

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The Glasgow Effect

The Glasgow Effect refers to the poor health levels in the Scottish city of Glasgow and its surrounding areas compared to other cities in the UK and Europe. However, both Manchester and Liverpool suffer from similar statistics.

As part of our Society and Lifestyle input we were to read a document titled ‘The Glasgow Effect’ which explores the causes of Glasgow’s unusually high death rate and the link with social deprivation. From reading the document, I gathered that the mortality rates in Glasgow are increasing high and found that deaths in under 65’s is 30% higher in Glasgow and in all deaths Glasgow is 14% higher than similarly deprived areas Liverpool and Manchester. I was most shocked to discover that the suicide rate in Glasgow is 70% higher than other UK cities!

We must ask ourselves if our own culture has a role in these high statistics. On further reading I found that the use of illegal drugs and binge drinking are higher in social deprived areas in Scotland which can be linked to the increasing death rate also. Scots are also known for their poor health including poor diets and lack of exercise which can attribute to illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease as well as obesity.

Overall, the fact that Scotland – and Glasgow in particular – has a shorter life expectancy than the rest of the UK and Europe appalling. In order to change this, we need to analyse our choices (including our diets and exercising habits) and alter our lifestyles.