The Glasgow Effect focuses on the different health outcomes in UK cities. The main question The Glasgow Effect looks at is why the health outcomes in UK cities differ. Why is it that equally deprived cities have different outcomes?
Scotland has a very poor health profile compared to the rest of Europe. In Scotland, we have the highest mortality rates and lowest life expectancy in the west of Europe. This makes Scotland the most unhealthy country in the UK.
Scotland is well known for its fried food, Irn Bru and excessive drinking, which have massive impacts on a person’s health. Society play’s a big part in Scotland culture. It could be said that Scottish people may be forced to eat fattening foods and drink alcohol because of the massive influence around them. For example, parents could lead a child to eat unhealthily, and peer pressure may lead people to drink excessively. Looking at deprivation in Scotland, fruit and vegetables can be expensive which may lead or force people to pick the unhealthier option. For example, you can get a burger at McDonald’s for 99 pence.
Looking at the deprivation profiles of Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester we can see that they are very similar, Manchester being the lowest at 23.4% and Glasgow being the highest at 24.8%. This is very small difference in percentage, but Scotland’s health profile still suffers.
Comparing mortality profiles of Glasgow to that of Liverpool and Manchester, we can see that mortality in Glasgow was 14% higher in all deaths. ‘Excess mortality’ in Glasgow has showed that 2,090 people under the age of 65 in excess. It has showed that almost half of excessive deaths in Scotland are related to alcohol and drugs.
From looking at The Glasgow Effect and the Scottish survey, I have determined that I do not believe Scotland is a healthy country. According to the Scottish survey, men drink 5.2 units of alcohol and day and women 2.8 units a day. This is over the daily recommended amount adults should consume therefore this could be a major factor in the death rate in Scotland.
