Social mobility and health inequalities in Glasgow

This project explores whether selective migration explains Glasgow’s poor health and excess mortality.  It aims to examine the social mobility of those who stayed with those who moved both in and out of Glasgow. We will look at who moved from Glasgow to regions with New Towns. We will compare the adult health and social class of those who moved with the health of those staying in Glasgow and also those who moved into Glasgow. We hope to use the following data: 

• The 1947 Scottish Mental Survey (cognitive ability)

• National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) data (health board area, death)

• The 2001 census (occupation, education, self-reported general health)

• 1939 register (early life social class)

This new project will include Census data to provide a fuller analysis of how the places and groups a child grows up in affects their wellbeing in later life.

 

Key questions 

In doing so we will attempt to answer the following research questions: 

1. What is the pattern of social mobility for this cohort? 
2. How does morbidity and premature mortality vary by social mobility trajectory? 
3. How does morbidity and premature mortality vary by migration status trajectory? 
4. How does morbidity and premature mortality vary by NHS region in child and adulthood? 
5. How is the health of Glasgow in comparison to other areas different when migrants are put back to their childhood region? 
6. How does social mobility in the migrant groups compare to a group (matched on sex, cognitive ability and childhood social class) who remained in Glasgow? 
7. How does morbidity and mortality in the migrant groups (both in and out of Glasgow) compare to a group (matched on sex, cognitive ability and childhood social class) who remained in Glasgow? 

Potential benefits 

These comparisons will show the effect of migration and social mobility on Glasgow’s health. 

This project is funded by ADR Scotland via its core grant from the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) as an ADR UK partner.