- Poor housing with mould, poor air quality, inadequate heat or hot water etc.
- Inadequate clothing for cold weather and winter, leading to a higher risk of getting ill.
- Restricted access to supermarkets, and therefore limited access to nutritious food such as fresh fruits, vegetables or fresh milk.
- Restricted access to non-insured health care such as medications.
- Restricted access to communication (such as phone or Internet).
- Restricted access to education leading to low health literacy, fewer job prospects, etc.
- Social isolation.
- Increased levels of stress due to financial pressures.
-
Housing
People who live in inadequate housing, can experience a whole range of problems. Housing can affect social status, money issues (i.e. bills, etc), and therefore stress levels. However, the main problems with inadequate housing usually results in health issues. These may occur through overcrowding, or the following conditions:
Damp
-
Penetrating Damp is caused when rain water gets into the fabric of the home through walls, unsealed joints, roof leaks, chimney stacks, etc. One common cause is blockage of gutters, resulting in rainwater running down the walls.
-
Plumbing Defects, i.e. even a very minor leak in pipe-work can cause a significant damp patch.
Health impacts of dampness include:
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Range of other respiratory problems
- Arthritis and Rheumatism
- Mental health e.g. depression
Condensation and Mould Growth
Condensation occurs when warm, moist air meets a cold surface. This may result in patches of black or green mould growth. Condensation is usually caused by an excess of water vapour in the air, cold surfaces (i.e. poorly insulated walls), or inadequate heating. The health impacts of condensation are similar to those of dampness. Mould and fungi can also be allergenic.
Cold Homes
For every degree that the temperature falls below the winter average there are approximately 8,000 extra deaths. Cold homes are caused by inadequate heating systems or poor insulation.
Health impacts if cold homes include:
- Respiratory illness
- Cardiovascular conditions
- Hypothermia
- Increased risk of accidents and falls
- Mental health (depression/isolation)
- Rheumatism and arthritis
-
Gender
Gender has various different effects on people’s health. Women and men suffer from different diseases. Some diseases will be more common in men, and others will be more common in women. For example, women are more likely to be clinically depressed or have an anxiety disorder. Evidence () suggests that women are three times more likely to face the destructive effects of depression than men are. Depression is a serious health threat at times when women expect to be happiest: during and after pregnancy. Women also react differently to drugs, i.e. certain high blood pressure medications and antibiotics are more effective in women, whereas anaesthesia isn't as effective in women.
The following are the main health problems that are more likely in women:
- Osteoporosis. (80% of the people suffering from this disease, are women)
- Sexually transmitted diseases.
- Autoimmune diseases, i.e. lupus and multiple sclerosis.
Men, on the other hand, create a major problem by not visiting the doctor as frequently as women for health issues. Men are more likely to suffer from:
- Colour blindness, which is a condition that affects mostly men.
- Flaky scalp
- Hair loss, which can have a dramatic effect on men's confidence
- Obesity
- Prostate cancer
- Prostatism (an enlarged prostate gland)
- Testicular cancer
- Snoring
- Impotence
-
Peyronie's disease
- Access to healthcare services
Initiating the access of health care services, allows people to have the appropriate resources to ensure good health. People having access to health care services depends on financial, social/cultural or organisation barriers, which will limit who can get to which services. Along with those barriers, you have to consider the affordability and physical accessibility of services.
The physical location of health care services is vital in the outcome of people’s treatment outcomes, so my main example of people who are at a disadvantage would be people living in rural communities. These people have to wait longer before receiving initial medical care, due to response times being slower as ambulances are travelling longer distances to reach a casualty. Not everyone has the availability of a car or regular buses, which is another reason that it isn’t possible for everyone to make it to a GP’s surgery, dentist, optician, hospital, etc.
-
Disability
People with disabilities experience poorer health due to discrimination and prejudice. This discrimination causes major problems, and there are various organisations trying to change this. The following organisations are the most famous:
- Mencap (2004) Treat Me Right!
Better healthcare for people with a learning disability,
- Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB)
Up to three million children and adults are being denied the right to read because they have a sight problem, dyslexia or another reading disability.
-
Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) Access to Health Campaign
Building on the “A Simple Cure” Report of 2004, guidelines for improving access to health for deaf and hard of hearing people.
- SCOPE Campaign for Equality in Health
Access to healthcare for all is something that we pride ourselves on as a society, and yet disabled people can find themselves obstructed from accessing the services they need.
Disability Rights Commission Health Inequalities Debate
A website listing the DRC's priorities for tackling health inequalities
Many disabled people and their families feel isolated and unsupported when it somes to the availability of healthcare services. Every day, people put express discriminatory views against disabled people, if even just subconciously. When discrimination occurs in society, it may make disabled people feel marginalised and excluded. This may have dramatic effects on their self-esteem, and make them very self-concious about an unfortune they can’t even help.
However, sometimes discrimination may also occur in healthcare situations. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC), conducted some research which found that:
- People with learning disabilities are four times more likely to die as a result of a preventable condition
- People with diagnosed schizophrenia die, on average, nine years before the rest of the population
- Fewer than 20 percent of learning disabled women attend cervical screening
-
People with learning disabilities are 58 times more likely to die before the age of 50 ()
Unequal access and treatment in health services for disabled people should have been addressed by the Disability Discrimination Act, which came into force in 1999. Many health service providers have failed to focused on physical access for disabled people and how services are provided, e.g. receiving treatment information in large print (for people with slight visual impairments) or on tape (for people with hearing impairments). Achieving equality means making adjustments, such as considering using sign language, braille, ramps, etc. if needed.
References
Books
BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 2, Beryl Stretch, 2007
Websites
[11.11.2009]
[11.11.2009]
[13.11.2009]
All images from [15.11.2009]
