Tackling Health Inequalities in Scotland
In January 2016, YAS welcomed guest speaker Dr Kat Smith, Reader, Global Public Health Unit at the University of Edinburgh, as part of a group discussion aimed at exploring possible approaches towards tackling Health Inequalities (HI) in Scotland. The session aimed to harness the collective expertise of YAS members, RSE Fellows and other key stakeholders to help provide a steer and focus, and help inform future direction of travel.
Dr Smith presented her work, which examines how academic research on HI affects policy and practice in Scotland and England. Her research considers the recent historical context surrounding the issue of HI as part of the Labour Agenda, and the current government’s policies.
There is a consensus in academia that while there is a lot of policy activity around Health Inequalities, but very little progress has been made. There is also agreement on the types of policies that effectively address the root causes of HI. However, policies that address these issues are not often advocated by organisations. Instead, “downstream” policies that address the results of health inequalities are often advocated and introduced; these policies often address behaviours such as smoking, drinking, and poor diet. Because of past failures to significantly alter HI, there is a sense of “political embarrassment” surrounding the issue that makes it difficult to meaningfully address.
