Regional
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 5.2.4
Regional Inequalities in Health Chances
There are a number of regional differences within the UK in terms of health and life expectancy. These include North versus South, rural versus urban and poor versus rich areas.
The North-South divide
- The chances of dying early (below the age of 75) are a fifth higher in the North of England compared to the South.
- People living in the North are likely to spend more of their lives with a disability.
The rural-urban divide
- People living in rural communities have poorer access to services, including hospitals and doctors surgeries.
- Ambulance services tend to located in urban areas, with the potential to reduce their effectiveness in more rural locations (e.g. response time).
The poor-rich divide
- People living in poorer areas of the UK are more likely to suffer from more ill-health, as well as die younger.
- Male life expectancy in Glasgow (a poorer area of the UK) is 13 years less than those living in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea (one of the wealthiest areas of the UK).
- Female life expectancy in Glasgow is ten years less than those in Kensington and Chelsea.
Explanations
- Differences can be explained in terms of social class, age, gender and ethnic composition of different areas of the UK.
- The allocation of resources also plays a role:
- Hacking et al. found that there still existed a North-South divide in health outcomes between people of the same social class because people in the South (of all classes) had greater access to resources, such as education, specialist hospitals and more GPs.