Related Experiment Videos
Increasing mortality differentials by residential area level of poverty: Britain 1981-1997
1School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. mary.shaw@bristol.ac.uk
Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|May 19, 2000
Summary
Mortality rates for working-age adults in Britain have increasingly polarized due to socioeconomic factors. By the late 1990s, a quarter of deaths were linked to poverty, highlighting growing inequality.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Social Epidemiology
- Health Economics
Background:
- Rising income inequality in Britain has been linked to widening health disparities.
- Previous research indicates socioeconomic status influences mortality risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze mortality trends for working-age individuals (15-64) in Britain between 1981-1997.
- To investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status, defined by area-based poverty deciles, and mortality.
- To assess the impact of income inequality on mortality differentials.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of mortality data for ages 15-64 in Britain from 1981-1997.
- Stratification of population by deciles based on an area-based poverty measure.
- Examination of mortality differentials across socioeconomic groups over time.
Main Results:
- A significant polarization of life chances observed over the study period.
- By 1994-1997, approximately 25% of deaths in the 15-64 age group were attributable to adverse socioeconomic circumstances.
- Mortality gaps widened in parallel with increasing income inequality.
Conclusions:
- Socioeconomic circumstances have a substantial and increasing impact on mortality for working-age adults in Britain.
- The trend of increasing mortality inequality is closely linked to rising income inequality.
- Redistributive social policies are essential to counteract widening socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes.