Rich people have better health than the poor: Health equity in an unequal world

Jean  Woo; Gary Ka-ki Chung; Roger Yat-Nork  Chung; Ning  Fan; Eric TC  Lai; Richard  Lee; Hung  Wong; Eng-Kiong  Yeoh; Michael  Marmot

doi:10.59400/ephr2361

Jean Woo CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Gary Ka-ki Chung CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Roger Yat-Nork Chung CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Ning Fan Health in Action, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong, China
Eric TC Lai CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Richard Lee CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Hung Wong CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Eng-Kiong Yeoh CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Michael Marmot CUHK Institute of Health Equity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China; Institute of Health Equity, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK

Article ID: 2361

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59400/ephr2361

Keywords: health inequality; life expectancy; social determinants; philanthropy; ageism; intrinsic capacity

Abstract

Many accept as inevitable that the rich have better health than the poor; at the same time, many would view this as contravening social justice. This topic was discussed between experts from diverse disciplines at a colloquium on 15th November 2024 in Hong Kong, jointly organized by the Institutes of Health Equity of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and University College London. To address health equity, there need to be indicator(s) that consist of health data, disaggregated by age groups, gender, and measures of deprivation, that are regularly collected. Social determinants of health that give rise to health inequalities need to be documented, to enable measures to be developed to counter such inequalities in the presence of wealth disparities. Such measures include government policies covering health, social, and other areas such as housing, transport, urban planning etc. Civil society also has an important role in mitigating health inequalities, particularly in societies with a steep gradient in wealth, such as Hong Kong.

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