The Glasgow Effect

Today within Society and Lifestyle we were discussing health and at risk behaviours. We were asked to read ‘The Glasgow Effect’ document that looks at deprived areas in the UK (Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool) and examines the mortality rate within these areas.

From reading the document, I found out that even though income rates are almost identical in these cities, premature death in Glasgow is 30% higher, with all deaths 15% higher than Manchester and Liverpool. Around half of these deaths under 65 are directly related to alcohol and drugs. The way I interpret this information would be, by living in Scotland, culture must play a huge part in the mortality within Glasgow compared to Manchester and Liverpool. Scots have a 50% higher risk of having heart problems compared to those in England. Scots are famous for drinking and eating unhealthy so being engrossed in the culture could be one of the main reasons for such a high mortality.

‘Excess’ mortality is greater within the working class, ages 15-44 years (45% higher) and 45-64 years (30% higher) although childhood mortlity was significantly lower in Glasgow compared to Liverpool and Manchester. Glasgow statistics – 27% higher for lung cancer, 32% higher for external causes, 70% higher for suicide, 2.3 times higher for alcohol-related causes and almost 2.5 times higher for drug-related poisoning. Between 2003-2007 there were more than 4,500 ‘excess’ deaths in Glasgow. For deaths under 65 almost half of the excess was due to deaths from alcohol related causes (32%) and drugs related poisonings (17%).

From this document, I gathered that a high mortality rate is related to how deprived and area is, although Glasgow has proven that it isn’t the only cause of excess deaths. It is only a small part of a large topic that is still being studied.

To what extent are Scottish people healthy?

I would guess, without looking into it, that Scotland is not a healthy country. Scottish culture is predominantly unhealthy – whiskey, shortbread, irn bru, haggis – all of which Scots embrace.

By looking at the Scottish Health Survey, some of the statistics would strongly back up my initial thought. Mental health is a big problem in Scotland. Between the ages of 16-24, 23% of women had reported self-harm, many including attempted suicide. Poor health is strongly associated with living in a deprived area (34%) compared to more wealthy areas (18%).

Relating to the Scottish culture, binge drinking is a huge problem for the country. 36% of men and 17% of women admit to drinking more than the government advised safe limit – 14 units. I found this statistic untrustworthy as I would definitely have guessed that it was higher, especially because drinking has become something that is common from a young age. Also, 21% of the population of Scotland say they smoke.

Lack of physical activity is also a problem within Scotland. Men are more active than women. Only 26% of adults meet the guidelines for moderate of vigorous physical activity. This relates to the 65% of adults being overweight.