Health and Social Inequalities in England

The overall life expectancy gap between the most affluent and poorest areas is widening – with respiratory disease as a contributor. Lung conditions are caused by and/or triggered by exposure to things that are often related to socioeconomic status – including air pollution, poor housing, tobacco smoking, and access to healthcare services.¹

Professor Ivan Browne talks about inequalities and healthy life expectancy in England. He looks at specific examples – differences across the jubilee line in London and data from his hometown of Leicester.

He outlines what factors contribute to health status including socio-economic, living and working conditions and individual lifestyle factors. He presents comparative data on the estimates of how primary drivers contribute to health status. He provides his insights during his time as the Director of Public Health in Leicester City during the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed and amplified underlying health inequalities which exist in our society.

Professor Browne finishes with some key takeaways of how individuals are supported in Leicester including advocacy, engagement and utilising local knowledge and expertise such as local providers and pharmacists. Please also consider watching the on-demand video ‘Health Inequalities in Asthma Care’ by Dr Llinos Jones who presents on the significance of health literacy and factors that influence inequality in asthma care.

References

1. Asthma & Lung UK. Breathing Unequal. https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/breathingunequalfinalpdf

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• Professor Ivan Browne

  Professor in Public Health and Non-Executive Director

  Read biography
  Professor Ivan Browne

  Professor in Public Health and Non-Executive Director De Montfort University Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

  Role and Location
  He is currently a Professor in Public Health at De Montfort University. Prof. Browne was until recently the Director of Public Health for the City of Leicester and was at the forefront of leading the city through the COVID 19 pandemic.

  Education
  Ivan is a Fellow of the Faculty of Public Health, where he has been awarded with the President’s Medal for his contributions to Public Health. He is an honorary Doctor of Loughborough University and is a Deputy Lieutenant for Leicester and Leicestershire and has been named as one of the Rising Stars in the Health Service Journals 50 most influential Black, Asian and Ethnic people in health in both 2022 and 2023.

  Research Interests
  Ivan is passionate about finding ways to tackle the significant levels of inequality evident within multicultural urban environments like Leicester. He is particularly interested in the development and application of new and emerging technologies that can potentially enhance the health and wellbeing of the population as a whole but more specifically those at greater risk of poor health outcomes.