No one reason for Scotland's shorter life

Life expectancy in Scotland, markedly lower than in other European nations, is due to more than smoking, drinking and deprivation, Scottish researchers said. Lead author Dr. Gerry McCartney, a consultant in public health at National Health Service Health Scotland, and colleagues said they found no single cause was likely to explain the higher mortality, but it might be attributable to a range of factors influenced by the political direction of past decades. The group of researchers identified hypotheses based on a review of the research and a series of research dissemination events. The results showed Scotland started to diverge from other European countries from 1950 to 1980, and this might be linked to higher deprivation associated with particular industrial employment patterns, housing and urban environments, community and family dynamics and negative health behavior cultures. The study, published in the journal Public Health, found the higher mortality from 1980 onward can be best explained by considering the political direction taken by the government of the day, and the consequent hopelessness and community disruption that may have been experienced. "It is increasingly recognized that it is insufficient to try to explain health trends by simply looking at the proximal causes such as smoking or alcohol," McCartney said in a statement. "Income inequality, welfare policy and unemployment do not occur by accident, but as a product of the politics pursued by the government of the day. In this study we looked at the 'causes of the causes' of Scotland's health problems."