About our report
Health inequalities are a critical priority for BHF and for the NHS. Unfair differences in cardiovascular risk and outcomes are not inevitable. Instead, these differences are often rooted in systemic inequalities in society and our health and care systems.
As part of the BHF’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy, we are committed to better understanding the inequalities that we know exist, so we can make informed decisions and improve our efforts to close the gaps.
In 2023, we published a report (PDF) that analysed health inequalities relating to deprivation in Scotland across the cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathway. This report found evidence of significant inequalities across the CVD pathway, consistently to the detriment of the most deprived parts of Scotland. We have also examined the same topic in the context of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Now, in light of three more years of data on CVD in Scotland, including measures of CVD that were not available to us in 2023 (particularly age-standardised prevalence and incidence data), we have decided to update our Scotland report. We analysed data on CVD and its risk factors in Scotland from several sources, including: Public Health Scotland, the Scottish Health Survey, Scottish Cardiac Audit Programme, and National Records of Scotland.
Our report findings
We found that, when compared to the least deprived areas, the most deprived areas of Scotland have:
- higher rates of smoking, living with obesity, and physical inactivity, as well as higher prevalence of hypertension and diabetes
- higher prevalence of coronary heart disease, heart failure, and other cardiovascular diseases
- higher incidence rate of coronary heart disease, heart failure, and heart attack
- higher death rates from coronary heart disease and heart attack, as well as CVD overall.
Download the report
