Challenge Poverty Week 2018

The main aims of this awareness week, led by the Poverty Alliance, are to:

• Highlight the reality of poverty and challenge the stereotypes that about exist about it
• Demonstrate what is being done across Scotland to address poverty
• Increase public support for more action to solve poverty

Poverty is the biggest driver of poor health in our society, and so is central to our work here at the GCPH. We were pleased to be involved with Challenge Poverty Week for another year to turn the spotlight on the wide-ranging consequences of poverty and to highlight some important work to alleviate its effects and improve health and wellbeing.

Debt and health

This Challenge Poverty Week we published a new briefing paper highlighting the potential damage to mental and physical health from the high levels of personal, unsecure debt currently seen in the UK.

Access the briefing

Read more about the research

Read a blog by Chris Harkins on the research: Families running on empty

The briefing paper was also features in The Times and author Chris Harkins was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland.

Local action on poverty

We have also highlighted some of the work being done in Glasgow and Scotland to tackle poverty:

The Healthier, Wealthier Children project

The Cost of the School Day project

Partnership work between primary care and money advice services

Basic income

There has been a lot of discussion recently on whether basic income is a potential solution to poverty and health inequality.  Following our recent seminar on basic income by Prof Evelyn Forget, posing the question 'Is a basic income good for your health?'  the presentation slides and podcast are now available.

Finally, in her guest blog to round off the week, Dr Sonya Scott, consultant in child public health for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, discusses actions to tackle poverty, highlighting that poverty isn’t inevitable.