An Edinburgh university research team have identified links between living in deprived areas and greater risk of frailty among older Scots, in findings they say could inform health inequalities policies.

In the first study of its kind to explore the impact of living in deprived areas at different life stages on frailty in old age, data from people born in Lothian in 1936 was linked to the different areas they lived throughout their lives.

Professor Jamie Pearce, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of GeoSciences, said his team’s work, shows that the types of places people live in throughout their lives can have a health impact much later in life, including level of frailty in older age:

“Identifying why living in a socially disadvantaged neighbourhood at different points during life translates into worse health outcomes offers an opportunity to enhance healthy ageing and reduce inequalities.”

Frailty is a condition that can make older people feel weak, impacting their ability to recover well from health issues, with people who are frail often less likely to recover from illness and injury. University of Edinburgh researchers reviewed information from 323 participants in the 1936 Lothian Birth cohort, looking at where lived when they were born and thereafter.

The Edinburgh-based research team investigated the connection between neighbourhood social deprivation, rate of health decline and frailty, using measures of frailty between 70 and 82 among participants. They found that the more time men spent living in deprived areas, the higher the likelihood of becoming frail by the time they are 70 years old.

The study – supported by Age Scotland – links frailty in old age to experiences of deprivation in childhood and mid-to-late adulthood. Researchers aimed to “aid the development of measures to better support healthy ageing and reduce inequalities” by understanding the reasons underpinning frailty.

The researchers also found that women living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in mid-to-late life became frail more quickly after the age of 70 than those living in affluent areas. They state that policies which address ‘neighbourhood deprivation and inequalities across the full life course’ could support healthy ageing.

Health inequalities remain pervasive in Scotland, and the finding comes as Gillian Martin MSP recently criticised Scotland’s lack of effective action to tackle healthcare inequalities. An inquiry into Scotland’s efforts to address health inequalities stated that actions to date have “largely failed” with inequalities widening between 2010 and 2020.

Dr Gergő Baranyi who led this study said:

“The United Nations expects that by 2050 the number of older adults will double worldwide and many of them will suffer from age-related conditions, including frailty.

“Identifying aspects of our lives that might slow the decline in health and functioning is crucial, and our research shows that the neighbourhoods where we live are one of these.”

A parliamentary review published in September called for a coordinated national and local strategy to tackle health inequalities in Scotland, with recommendations across education, housing, employment and income support. Responding to the government's review, Ms Martin said:

“Tackling health inequalities must be a major public health priority because lives literally depend on it.”

Read more: MSPs: Actions on inequality have failed; Council pay settlement will ‘drive care inequality’; Scots ‘completely unaware’ they can inform policy

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