Health campaigns ‘ignore root causes of poverty’

Campaigns to improve the health of poor people fail to make an impact because they ignore the fundamental causes of inequality, new research suggests.

People living in towns facing economic hardship also believe they have been left facing the full brunt of austerity measures while those who are better-off flourish, according to the research involving experts at University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Glasgow University and NHS Health Scotland, with support from the UWS-Oxfam Partnership.

Academics interviewed people in Kilmarnock and Cumnock, in the south west of Scotland’s central belt. Both are towns with a rich industrial history now experiencing harder times. So disenfranchised are people living in these areas, that some believe authorities ‘want rid’ of poorer classes because they’re a ‘drain on society’.

Chik Collins, professor of applied social science at University of the West of Scotland, who worked on the project, said: “Huge amounts of money have been expended on something that does not work and is not going to work.

“In fact, a lot of health education work can exacerbate health inequalities, because the people who respond to the messages are those who are already healthy.”

Professor Mhairi Mackenzie, of Glasgow University, co-led the research and added: “We spoke to people who find themselves living in very difficult circumstances. Their feedback suggests there is a stark awareness of the link between political decisions and the effect on physical and mental health in local communities.

“The research highlights a need for policy makers to listen more closely to local people when devising health education and promotion strategies in an effort to act on the fundamental causes of health inequalities in our society, and more generally to have some meaningful chance of impact.”

As part of the study, people were questioned about the causes of ill health in local communities and the link with decisions made at government level. Both towns have a proud industrial past. Cumnock was steeped in coal mining and Kilmarnock had been a manufacturing industry hub, as well as the home of Johnnie Walker whisky. Those days are behind the towns though, leaving many residents struggling to find new employment.

Professor Collins added: “Our research highlights the fact that there are areas which have never recovered from the decline of the heavy industries and generations are suffering as a result.

“In this era when increasing numbers of people have been reliant on food banks, it’s vital for politicians to take action to address unemployment, poverty and ill health which continues to plague communities across the country.

“It is also vital that health education and promotion takes fuller account of the real circumstances of people’s lives, and enters into a more meaningful dialogue with local communities in order to address health and health inequalities.”