Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland

Relationships between social disadvantage and health outcomes in the advanced capitalist world are now well documented but less is known about the uneven development over space of mortality and morbidity. As one of the more unequal and socially stratified countries in the OECD, it is to be suspected...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rigby, JE, Boyle, MG, Brunsdon, C, Charlton, M, Dorling, D, French, W, Noone, S, Pringle, D
Format: Journal article
Published: Geographical Society of Ireland 2017
_version_ 1826272066317320192
author Rigby, JE
Boyle, MG
Brunsdon, C
Charlton, M
Dorling, D
French, W
Noone, S
Pringle, D
author_facet Rigby, JE
Boyle, MG
Brunsdon, C
Charlton, M
Dorling, D
French, W
Noone, S
Pringle, D
author_sort Rigby, JE
collection OXFORD
description Relationships between social disadvantage and health outcomes in the advanced capitalist world are now well documented but less is known about the uneven development over space of mortality and morbidity. As one of the more unequal and socially stratified countries in the OECD, it is to be suspected that Ireland is burdened by particularly acute social and geographical health inequalities. Yet, remarkably little is known about the Irish case. This paper is one of the first to explore the nexus between Ireland’s emergence as a neoliberalising, small but radically open economy and its attendant social and spatial inequalities, and the geographical structure of its mortality. Offered as a methodological and mapping intervention upon which future longitudinal and tracking studies might be built, this paper reports the findings of an analysis of mortality in Ireland between 2006 and 2011, using an innovative newly-produced set of 407 areas intermediate in size between counties and Electoral Divisions. Our preliminary findings show that there exists both: (a) urban, rural, and what we term ‘isolated rural’ variations in age standardised death rates; and (b) sharp health inequalities within Irish cities and, in particular, in Dublin. We conclude that, whilst further modelling will be required to establish the extent to which socio-economic inequalities are driving geographies of health in Ireland, progress might be made if attention is given to the relationships which exist between neoliberalism, boom, bust, austerity, and recovery and the workings of socio-economic constraints, lifestyle and behaviour, health selection, and the accessibility of health care facilities.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T22:06:40Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:5066b0cf-4499-445a-8ba3-246ed3bd1ff6
institution University of Oxford
last_indexed 2024-03-06T22:06:40Z
publishDate 2017
publisher Geographical Society of Ireland
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:5066b0cf-4499-445a-8ba3-246ed3bd1ff62022-03-26T16:13:16ZTowards a geography of health inequalities in IrelandJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:5066b0cf-4499-445a-8ba3-246ed3bd1ff6Symplectic Elements at OxfordGeographical Society of Ireland2017Rigby, JEBoyle, MGBrunsdon, CCharlton, MDorling, DFrench, WNoone, SPringle, DRelationships between social disadvantage and health outcomes in the advanced capitalist world are now well documented but less is known about the uneven development over space of mortality and morbidity. As one of the more unequal and socially stratified countries in the OECD, it is to be suspected that Ireland is burdened by particularly acute social and geographical health inequalities. Yet, remarkably little is known about the Irish case. This paper is one of the first to explore the nexus between Ireland’s emergence as a neoliberalising, small but radically open economy and its attendant social and spatial inequalities, and the geographical structure of its mortality. Offered as a methodological and mapping intervention upon which future longitudinal and tracking studies might be built, this paper reports the findings of an analysis of mortality in Ireland between 2006 and 2011, using an innovative newly-produced set of 407 areas intermediate in size between counties and Electoral Divisions. Our preliminary findings show that there exists both: (a) urban, rural, and what we term ‘isolated rural’ variations in age standardised death rates; and (b) sharp health inequalities within Irish cities and, in particular, in Dublin. We conclude that, whilst further modelling will be required to establish the extent to which socio-economic inequalities are driving geographies of health in Ireland, progress might be made if attention is given to the relationships which exist between neoliberalism, boom, bust, austerity, and recovery and the workings of socio-economic constraints, lifestyle and behaviour, health selection, and the accessibility of health care facilities.
spellingShingle Rigby, JE
Boyle, MG
Brunsdon, C
Charlton, M
Dorling, D
French, W
Noone, S
Pringle, D
Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland
title Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland
title_full Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland
title_fullStr Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland
title_full_unstemmed Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland
title_short Towards a geography of health inequalities in Ireland
title_sort towards a geography of health inequalities in ireland
work_keys_str_mv AT rigbyje towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT boylemg towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT brunsdonc towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT charltonm towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT dorlingd towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT frenchw towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT noones towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland
AT pringled towardsageographyofhealthinequalitiesinireland