One of the main objectives of the HEPROGRESS project is to raise awareness and promote information about health inequalities among politicians, other decision makers, and in the general public. A means to produce such information has been a questionnaire survey among the participating municipalities in Østfold County, Norway and Vidzeme planning region, Latvia.

The data from these two surveys are now being analysed, and the first results have been disseminated to the municipalities.
Below we present the levels in the local populations of restrictions, caused by poor health and illnesses, of activities and social participation.

The results indicate the percentage in various age groups of those who reported that they are severely restricted in carrying out usual daily activities. There is a separate graph or curve for different educational groups. Separate analyses were made for men and women, but there were only minor differences between the genders in regard to the social differences.

The figures below present the percentage of those who report severe restrictions in daily activities because of illness and poor health. In age groups and educational groups. Blue lines are for those with lowest educational level (only primary school), and green for those with highest educational level (university level).

Results for Norway:

Results for Latvia:

In Latvia there is a strong increase with age in the percentage with severe restrictions. Among the youngest, there were no social difference (measured by level of education) whereas a progressing social difference develops over the age groups.

In Norway the progression with age is not so drastic. But there is a clear social difference already among the youngest, and it continues over the age groups. The group with lowest educational level has almost the same relatively high level over the age groups.

The restrictions in activity are highly predictive for social differences in exclusion from the labour market and thereby incurring great individual and societal costs.

These results will be included in further dissemination of project information and materials, and will be used for indepth analyses and estimation of the potential economic benefits at a municipal, regional and national level where health promotion and prevention are targetted towards reducing social inequalities in health.

Written by: Niels Kr. Rasmussen, Project Manager of HEPROGRESS