Glasgow Centre for Population Health

When giving birth becomes a risk: a Black woman’s story When giving birth becomes a risk: a Black woman’s story

📣 New Blog!
Continuing this #BlackHistoryMonth, this guest blog shines a light on the lived experience of Black women in the UK, and was written by Melanie Allen-Clarke, who shares her birthing story in the context of her research on Black maternal health in the UK.
www.gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...

The injustices of social health determinants: how these are shaped and can be addressed The injustices of social health determinants: how these are shaped and can be addressed

📣 New Blog!

Our penultimate #BlackHistoryMonth guest blog examines the injustices of social health determinants: how these are shaped and can be addressed.
www.gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...

Infographic of key facts from Glasgow City Ethnicity Profile

Some key facts from our new Glasgow City Ethnicity Profile, published today gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

#HDRCGlasgow
@glasgowcc.bsky.social
@nihr.bsky.social

📣 Our new Glasgow City Ethnicity Profile is published today 🔽 gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

#HDRCGlasgow, @glasgowcc.bsky.social
@nihr.bsky.social

Glasgow City ethnicity profile Glasgow City ethnicity profile

📣 New Report

Glasgow City Ethnicity Profile provides evidence relating to ethnicity, disadvantage & health, and is part of our ongoing work with Glasgow's Health Determinants Research Collaboration (#HDRCGlasgow),
@glasgowcc.bsky.social & @nihr.bsky.social

www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

Black History Month 2025: CRER's manifesto for an anti-racist Scotland Black History Month 2025: CRER's manifesto for an anti-racist Scotland

📣 New blog!
Lucien from @crer-scotland.bsky.social offers tangible actions we can take as public health professionals and policy-makers to combat racialised health inequalities for Black, and other, racially minoritised communities.
gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...

Black health in Scotland: time to close the gap Black health in Scotland: time to close the gap

📣New blog! Mohasin Ahmed's second blog in our #BHM25 series explores public health issues and inequalities faced by Black communities in Scotland today, and what can be done to close the gap.

Read more: www.gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...

Inforgraphic on poverty and wealth in Glasgow, available from www.understandingglasgow.com

If you want to learn more about poverty in Glasgow, check out ‘Poverty and wealth’ in our Understanding Glasgow website #ChallengePoverty #CPW25 www.understandingglasgow.com/glasgow-indi...

On #WorldHomelessDay, check out our new Network Briefing, packed full of reports, research, opportunities - plus latest updates to the programme for the annual homelessness conference on Oct 27 & 28: us3.campaign-archive.com?u=01130236da...

Did you know that in Scotland in 2023, 861,000 households (34% of all households) were estimated to be in fuel poverty of which 491,000 (19.4% of all households) were in extreme fuel poverty. Source: Scottish House Conditions Survey 2023

Warm homes are a basic necessity, and yet over a third of households in Scotland are in fuel poverty. #ChallengePoverty #CPW25

Page of the comic book titled 'The Power of Community'. You can find videos of the six comic books being read out loud here: https://www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publications/1231-our-voices-community-impact-in-action

The Power of communities is one of 6 comics produced by CommonHealth Assets' Lived Experience Panel – another example of best practice when it comes to investing in communities. #CPW25 Read more: www.gcph.co.uk/our-work/25-...

YouTube video by gcphonline Cash First: What is Community Guiders Training and how can it be used?

A great example of community investment: the Community Guiders Training model, co-produced with community orgs across Dundee to drive anti-poverty work in communities. #ChallengePoverty #CPW25 Learn more about it in our recent webinar: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK6D...

Ethnicity and Socio-economic Deprivation in Scotland — CRER Using the latest population data from Scotland's 2022 Census, CRER's analysis highlights that Black and minority ethnic communities in Scotland are disproportionately concentrated in the most deprived...

You can read more on the subject of ethnicity and deprivation in @crer-scotland.bsky.social’s blog: www.crer.org.uk/blog/ethnici...

Test saying: "Did you know? People from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds are 60% more likely to live in the most-deprived areas of Scotland than their White Scottish/British counterparts."

Poverty and disadvantage often intersect with ethnicity, shaping stark inequalities in health outcomes for racialised minority communities. Effectively #ChallengingPoverty demands a better investment in communities (Day 4 #CPW25).

Page 1 of concept explainer: Poverty is more than a social issue - it is a public health emergency. It strips people of the basic conditions needed to live well, leading to poorer physical and mental health that can persist across generations. People living in poverty face higher risks of disease, disability, and premature death, simply because of where they live and what they earn.

Health inequalities don't happen by chance, they are a direct result of unfair and avoidable social and economic injustices. While access to healthcare should be universal, poverty can make it hard to reach. Cost, lack of transport, and limited internet access mean those who need care most often struggle to get it.

When life is a constant struggle, people often turn to unhealthy ways of coping just to get by and survive. Poverty drives depression, stress, isolation, poor eating habits, limited access to safe outdoor space and, for some, a reliance on substances. This isn't a choice, it's a response to despair and a lack of options.

If we want to improve public health and reduce health inequalities, we must take the impact of poverty seriously. Tackling its root causes is not optional, it's the starting point for building a fairer and healthier society.

New Concept Explainer! For #ChallengePoverty week, we look at poverty as a public health emergency. People in poverty face higher risks of disease, disability, and premature death, simply because of where they live and what they earn. #CPW25
Download it here: www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

Healthy sustainable food Healthy sustainable food

A better investment in life's essentials (Day 3 #CPW25) is necessary to effectively tackle poverty. This is why the work of the @glasgowfpp.bsky.social & the Glasgow City Food Plan towards a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system is so important. Read more www.gcph.co.uk/our-work/112...

Quote saying: " Did you know? Just 2.8% of Scotland's public sector workforce identify as belonging to a Black and minority ethnic group, despite making up 5.8% of the working-age population."

Removing barriers faced by some communities in accessing employment is crucial to help tackle poverty. Racialised minorities are overrepresented in low-pay sectors and underrepresented in the public sector, as seen in this CRER report: static1.squarespace.com/static/615c1... #CPW25

Quote saying: " Did you know? In Scotland in 2019-22, 57% of working-age adults in poverty and 69% of children in poverty lived in a working household."

Day 2 of #CPW25, and today’s theme focusses on the importance of better jobs, pay, hours and conditions in order to tackle poverty. Did you know that the majority of adults and children living in poverty in Scotland live in a working household? www.understandingglasgow.com/glasgow-indi...

Quote saying: “I feel that as a disabled person I have no choice over basic things, no sense of control. I was anxious before COVID but that has spiralled and some days I just can’t function. I don’t feel safe and feel in a heightened state of anxiety most of the time, now worrying about how I can make ends meet day to day.”

An inadequate Social Security, especially in situations like the cost-of-living crisis, can have a damaging impact on the lives, health, and wellbeing of society's most vulnerable people, as seen is this report #CPW25 : www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

Quote from the report 'The Impact of the cost-of-living crisis on disabled people: a case for action' (2023) that says: “In this cost-of-living crisis I feel the guillotine above my head all the time, I feel it so vividly. Things [finances] were always tight before, and even through COVID, but this is different, I can’t get by, everything is so much more expensive, so much more, I have no room to move. It feels like you are condemned to a joyless life being disabled in this crisis.”

For day 1 of Challenge Poverty Week (theme: Social Security), we re-share this important report that demonstrates the consequences of policies that do not protect the most vulnerable from the potential harms of the cost-of-living crisis. #CPW25
www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

Portrait of James McCune Smith & Quote: McCune Smith’s legacy is a reminder of the importance of representation in medicine and public health. His advocacy for patient welfare and social justice remains relevant today, as certain communities continue to face barriers to accessing equitable healthcare and are underrepresented in medical leadership and research.

Important in public health history is @uofgshw.bsky.social's James McCune Smith, the first African American to obtain a medical degree. He had a long career as a respected medical doctor, writer, civil rights advocate & welfare campaigner for patients at Glasgow's infamous Lock hospital #BHM25

Image of people taking part in food related activities, alongside the Good Food For All and NHS GGC logos.

👀If you missed the webinar, have a look at this recording of 'NHSGGC Healthy Weight Support Across the Life Course', which shares what is available, how to refer or signpost to this support & the difference that these supports make.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iStc...

A better welfare system is possible - one that treats people with dignity, compassion, and care 🤝

In our latest online listening with @demos-uk.bsky.social, we continue to see people's experience of the welfare system as inaccessible, inflexible, and inhumane. 1/2

"Acknowledging this past is not just about justice – it’s a public health imperative. We cannot address health disparities without confronting the historical and ongoing impact of racism."

New blog!
#BlackHistoryMonth 2025: what can be learned from Glasgow’s 850th anniversary?

#BMH25 coincides with Glasgow’s 850th anniversary & invites reflection on the city’s complex history & the public health lessons we can learn from it. 🔽

gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...

Flyer for event

📣We are pleased to share, as part of GCPH's #cashfirst work, some new learning/training events on:

🥘Food insecurity and people seeking asylum: Understanding the barriers to accessing food

📅8th & 22nd October in Govan (& online in November)

Sign up at: shorturl.at/EyXh4

Problem gambling is characterised by a loss of control and the continuation of gambling behaviour despite clear financial, emotional and psychological harm. Public health professionals increasingly recognise it not as a personal issue or weakness, but as a structural and societal issue with wide reaching consequences.

Evidence supports that betting companies disproportionately target deprived communities, where poverty and financial insecurity heighten vulnerability to gambling-related harm, creating cycles of debt, stress, and social harm

Young men are particularly at risk, with research and evidence indicating high levels of problem gambling within this group. This vulnerability is heightened by peer pressure, aggressive advertising strategies, and the 24/7 availability of online platforms.

The evidence base on problem gambling is growing but, in the past, many studies were paid for by betting companies - raising concerns about how ethical, trustworthy and reliable they are. Independent research is vital to understand the harm gambling can cause today, to create better support and prevention systems, and to help protect public health

📣New Concept Explainer! (In light of tomorrow's
RCA Trust Gambling Harms Summit)

Problem gambling is increasingly recognised as a structural, societal issue & deprived communities have heightened vulnerability to gambling-related social harm.

Link: gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...

Image for flyer for the audio tour

✨For this week's Doors Open Festival see our specially curated audio tour with @gbptrust.bsky.social & G15 Youth Project!

Learn about Glasgow's health history & explore the innovative & imaginative solutions that shaped wellbeing in the city over time 🔽
www.doorsopendays.org.uk/regions/glas...

NHSGGC image with blue and white lines coming out from the centre of the image and the text 'NHSGGC Healthy weight support across the life course' and the NHSGGC logo in the top left corner. There are collage pictures of people cooking and eating, and people in doctors appointments, and before and after pictures of a young girl and a man having used healthy weight support services.

Next Tuesday (23 Sept, 11:30–1), we’re hosting a webinar with NHSGGC: Healthy Weight Support Across the Life Course.

Learn about programmes from early years to adulthood -including Thrive Under 5, Weigh to Go, and breastfeeding support.

➡️ Free to join: bit.ly/healthy-weight-webinar

📣New Concept Explainer!

Fundamental Causes Theory (FCT) looks at the deeper causes of health inequalities and highlights how systems of privilege and disadvantage shape who stays healthy and who does not.

See more on FCT from this morning's seminar: bsky.app/profile/theg...

Prof Bruce Link describing Fundamental Causes Theory

Kat Smith from University of Strathclyde chairing the panel

Today GCPH, Mhairi MacKenzie & @uofglasgow.bsky.social colleagues hosted profs Bruce Link & Jo Phelan's talk on Fundamental Causes Theory (FCT).

Kat Smith then chaired a stimulating discussion on how FCT can be used address health inequalities & steer action.

📝Concept explainer & blog to follow...