Long-Term Monitoring of Health Inequalities: Headline Indicators - October 2012

An Official Statistics publication for Scotland. An annual report of headline indicators of health inequalities, including data for most indicators to 2010.


Mental Wellbeing (WEMWBS) - adults aged 16 years and over

Summary

  • Inequalities are increasing in absolute terms but remain stable in relative terms.

There is a clear difference in mean WEMWBS scores in terms of deprivation. Those in the most deprived decile reported a lower mean score (indicating lower mental wellbeing) than those in the highest decile. The absolute level of inequality has increased slightly in the last two years, from a difference of 3.8 in mean WEMWBS scores in 2009 to 5.0 in 2011. Relative inequality has remained stable over the last four years.

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Absolute range over time

Absolute range over time

Scale / context

Income-Employment Index Decile Mean WEMWBS Score 2008 Mean WEMWBS Score 2009 Mean WEMWBS Score 2010 Mean WEMWBS Score 2011
most deprived 47.4 47.5 47.5 46.7
2 47.7 47.7 47.9 48.2
3 48.9 49.0 48.4 48.8
4 49.6 49.3 49.6 50.4
5 49.9 49.2 50.1 49.9
6 50.5 50.1 50.7 50.1
7 51.0 50.6 50.4 51.1
8 51.3 50.7 51.3 51.0
9 51.6 51.6 52.0 51.3
least deprived 51.7 51.3 52.0 51.7
Total 50.0 49.8 49.9 49.9

Low Birthweight

Summary

  • Inequalities are narrowing in both absolute and relative terms

Around 3,000 low birthweight babies (less than 2.5 kg) are born each year, accounting for 5-6% of total live, full-term, singleton births in Scotland. Low birthweight babies are more common in deprived areas than in areas of low deprivation (6.8% in the most deprived areas, compared to 3.5% in the least deprived, in 2010). Inequalities were broadly stable between 1998 and 2006, but since then have narrowed in both relative and absolute terms. This has been due to a falling percentage of low birthweight babies in the most deprived areas in recent years, while the proportion in the least deprived areas has remained fairly stable.

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Inequalities gradient in the most recent year available

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Relative Index of Inequality (RII) over time

Absolute range over time

Absolute range over time

Scale / context

Number of low BW babies Target population size (live singleton births) Percentage
1998 3,108 55,152 5.6
1999 3,098 52,726 5.9
2000 2,906 51,082 5.7
2001 2,848 49,752 5.7
2002 2,910 48,952 5.9
2003 3,026 50,071 6.0
2004 3,030 51,852 5.8
2005 3,056 51,372 5.9
2006 2,928 52,286 5.6
2007 3,095 55,086 5.6
2008 3,134 56,738 5.5
2009 2,896 55,797 5.2
2010 2,756 55,153 5.0

Contact

Email: John Dowens

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