Across most countries, people in the lowest education category are twice as likely to view their health as poor compared to those with post-secondary education. Similar patterns emerge for other variables of health status, such as limitations in daily activities and prevalence of multiple chronic conditions. This is partly explained by poorer health behaviour, like smoking and being overweight, being more prevalent among less educated people, as well as poorer working and living conditions.
Health inequalities
Large inequalities in health and life expectancy exist between different groups of people. These health inequalities can be related to the unequal exposure to health risk factors, such as smoking, as well as unequal access to healthcare, among other aspects. They are often linked to a range of social, economic and environmental factors which require large-scale government action to tackle effectively.
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