Health Inequalities

Download or read book Health Inequalities written by Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Health Committee and published by The Stationery Office. This book was released on 2009 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report from the House of Commons Health Committee shows that whilst the health of all groups in England is improving, over the last ten years health inequalities between the social classes have widened with the health of the rich improving more quickly than that of the poor. Health inequalities are not only apparent between people of different socio-economic groups - they exist between different genders, different ethnic groups, and the elderly and people suffering from mental health problems or learning disabilities also have worse health than the rest of the population. The causes of health inequalities are complex, and include lifestyle factors - smoking, nutrition, exercise to name only a few - and also wider determinants such as poverty, housing and education. Access to healthcare may play a role, and there are particular concerns about 'institutional ageism', but this appears to be less significant than other determinants. [Ed.].