Long Term Monitoring of Health Inequalities: Headline Indicators – October 2015

Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities

Healthy Life Expectancy

There have been no significant changes to inequalities in male or female healthy life expectancy since 2009-2010.

In 2013-2014, male healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth in the 10% most deprived areas in Scotland was 47.6 years, 25.1 years lower than in the least deprived areas (72.7 years).

Female HLE at birth was 51.0 years in the most deprived areas in 2013-2014, 22.1 years lower than in the least deprived areas (73.2 years).

Premature Mortality

Relative inequalities in premature mortality rates have widened over the long term but stabilised in the years since 2006.

The absolute gap in mortality rates between most and least deprived areas has reduced since 2002. This is reflected by a reduction in the gap between the most and least deprived areas in coronary heart disease death rates and alcohol-related death rates in adults aged 45-74 over the same time period.

Mental Wellbeing

The gap in prevalence of below average wellbeing between those in the most deprived areas and least deprived areas has widened since 2008/2009.

In 2012/2013, adults in the most deprived areas were five times more likely to have below average wellbeing than those in the least deprived areas (26% compared to 6%), indicated by a score of 41 or lower on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS).