Young people's perspectives on inequalities in health in England: a qualitative study

Abstract

BackgroundAcross England, inequalities in health are worsening. They have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and are particularly acute for some ethnic and socioeconomic groups, and some regions. Exploration of the public's understanding of health inequalities has increased, but few studies have looked at the views of young people. Our study seeks to redress this gap by exploring young people's perspectives of inequalities in health. MethodsWe did a qualitative study consisting of three interlinked focus groups (online and face-to-face) with young people from six youth organisations. Focus groups took place from Feb 10 to June 28, 2021. They were co-delivered with partnering youth organisations and involved participatory concept mapping activities and the discussion of health-related news articles. Working with youth organisations, we recruited young people (aged 13–21 years) from six youth groups in areas of high and mixed deprivation across three geographical locations in England (the North East, South Yorkshire, and London). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The data management software NVivo 12 was used to facilitate coding. All participants provided written informed consent, following acquisition of verbal informed consent from parents or guardians. Ethical approval for the study was granted by the University of Sheffield, Durham University, and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine ethics committees. FindingsWe ran 15 focus groups online and three face-to-face with 42 young people (19 male, 18 female, two non-binary, and three trans-male). Numbers ranged from two to ten participants in each group. Young people described a variety of different factors that shaped their health, including individual behaviours, personal or household resources, relationships and community, local services, the physical environment (particularly reputation and safety), psychosocial factors (including sense of belonging), and the socioeconomic context of the area (eg, quality and quantity of local jobs). However, throughout their discussions they foregrounded the importance of interrelationships between factors. Young people's understanding of inequalities in health were often rooted in their own experience and focused on an awareness of advantage and disadvantage. Young people articulated several different pathways through which they perceived health inequalities to be created, and consistently emphasised the importance of poverty as a root cause of inequality. Priorities for change included improving mental health support, access to safe and healthy local spaces, affordability of activities, healthy food availability, and youth group funding. InterpretationOur study highlights that young people have nuanced, experiential understandings of factors influencing their and other people's health within their local areas. Exploring young people's perspectives of inequalities is crucial in designing policies that are relevant to, and informed by, the people and places they affect. FundingUK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR).