reasons for regional variations in morbidity in the UK

One big reason for variations in morbidity in the UK is quality of health care. In some parts of the UK health care is quite poor and lifestyles are quite unhealthy. For example, in Liverpool and other northern cities smoking is much more common than in Sussex or some areas of the south east. Men in the north have a higher mortality rate than those of the same social class in the south, up to 40% of those in manual jobs smoke, compared with 15% in professional jobs.

This is possibly due to deprivation in terms of employment and housing as well as education. This can also be linked to the lack of sporting facilities to those earning a lower income. Lung cancer/diseases are much more prevalent because of this. Age of population can also have a big effect on morbidity. In places like Dorset there is a large amount of elderly dependents and therefore strokes and heart attacks would be more likely to occur because most strokes happen to older people, and despite the greater availability of health care, there is still the highest incidence of cancer in the area, at 671 per 100,000 population. Also people living in urban areas are more prone to morbidity and diseases related to pollution and airborne disease.

This is because are more people compacted into a small area and are therefore in contact with each other more so disease and viruses are spread easier than in rural areas where people are more spread out…………………………