Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities: Headline Indicators - October 2013

Annual update of the 'Long-term Monitoring of Health Inequalities' headline indicators.

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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 since 2009, from a difference of 3.9 in mean WEMWBS scores in 2009 to 5.5 in 2012. Relative inequality has remained stable.

As age may have an important influence on mental wellbeing, mean WEMWBS scores have been age-standardised in the 2013 report for the first time. This ensures that variations in the age-sex population distribution by income-employment decile do not directly affect the mean WEMWBS scores reported. Data for previous years is revised, but there has been no effect on relative inequality which is reported to two decimal places.

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 2008r

Mean WEMWBS Score 2009r

Mean WEMWBS Score 2010r

Mean WEMWBS Score 2011r

Mean WEMWBS Score 2012

most deprived

47.4

47.5

47.5

46.7

46.8

2

47.7

47.7

47.9

48.2

47.5

3

48.9

49.0

48.4

48.8

49.5

4

49.6

49.3

49.6

50.4

49.7

5

49.9

49.2

50.1

49.9

49.5

6

50.5

50.1

50.7

50.1

50.5

7

51.0

50.6

50.4

51.1

51.2

8

51.3

50.7

51.3

51.0

49.8

9

51.6

51.6

52.0

51.3

51.5

least deprived

51.7

51.3

52.0

51.7

52.3

Total

50.0

49.8

49.9

49.9

49.9

Contact

Email: Craig Kellock

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