Tackling Health Inequalities – consultation on a plan for delivery^* states that, ‘at the turn of the 21^st century, opportunity for a healthy life is still linked to social circumstances’. The new socio-economic classification (NS-SEC) used for the first time in the 2001 GHS** confirms that social circumstances are still related to health.

Tables 7.4 to 7.6 present data using NS-SEC and are also grouped into the following three main classes:

• Managerial and professional occupations
• Intermediate occupations
• Routine and manual occupations

  There were differences between each of the three main NS-SEC groups in the proportion of respondents who reported longstanding illness.

• Respondents living in households whose reference person was in the routine and manual group had the highest prevalence of longstanding illness (37% of men and 36% of women), followed by the intermediate group (31% of men and 32% of women) and with the lowest prevalence in the managerial and professional group (27% of men and 26% of women).

  A similar trend was evident among respondents who reported limiting longstanding illness and restricted activity in the 14 days before interview. However, among those who reported restricted activity, there were no significant differences between respondents whose household reference person was in the managerial and professional group and those in the intermediate group. The highest prevalence of reported restricted activity was among respondents whose household reference person was in the routine and manual group. For example:

• among men, 15% of those in routine and manual group households reported restricted activity compared with 11% of men in both intermediate group and managerial and professional group households.

  Thus, of the three main NS-SEC groups, respondents who were living in households headed by someone who was in the routine and manual group were the most likely to report a longstanding illness, a limiting longstanding illness or restricted activity in the last two weeks and respondents whose household reference person was in the managerial and professional group were least likely to report a longstanding illness or limiting longstanding illness.

  There were no statistically significant differences in reported sickness and restricted activity between respondents whose household reference person was in the routine and manual occupations group and those whose reference person had never worked or was long-term unemployed.

  Tables 7.4-7.6

  Our Healthier Nation argues that ‘being in work is good for your health’ and states that joblessness had been clearly linked to poor physical and mental health. Among the GHS respondents, the unemployed were more likely than those in work to report longstanding illness but the difference was only significant for women. However, both unemployed men and unemployed women reported significantly higher levels of limiting longstanding illness than those who were working.

• 19% of unemployed women reported a limiting longstanding condition, compared with 10% of those who were working at the time of the interview.
• Men who were unemployed were over one and a half times more likely than those who were working (15% compared with 9%) to report restricted activity in the two weeks before interview, but the differences were not significant for women (13% and 11% respectively).

  The prevalence of longstanding illness, limiting illness and restricted activity was highest among economically inactive respondents. The difference between economically inactive and working respondents, who reported chronic and acute sickness, was significant across all age groups and was more pronounced among men than women.

• 10% of men and women who were working reported a limiting longstanding illness compared with 46% of men and 37% of women who were economically inactive.

  Tables 7.7-7.9

*Tackling Health Inequalities – consultation on a plan for delivery. Department of Health. The Stationery Office (London 2001).

**From April 2001 the National Statistics Socio-economic classification (NS-SEC) was introduced for all official statistics and surveys. It has replaced Social Class based on occupation and Socio-economic Groups (SEG). See Appendix E for further information about NS-SEC.