Exposure to discrimination and subsequent changes in self-rated health : Evidence from the UK’s Life Opportunities Survey

Emerson, Eric and Milner, A and Aitken, Zoe and Vaughan, Cathy and Llewellyn, Gwynnyth and Kavanagh, Anne M. (2020) Exposure to discrimination and subsequent changes in self-rated health : Evidence from the UK’s Life Opportunities Survey. Public Health, 185. pp. 176-181. ISSN 0033-3506

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Abstract

Objectives We sought to estimate risk of poor self-rated health (SRH) following exposure to disability-related and other forms of overt discrimination in a cohort of working age adults. Study design The study design is a population-based cohort survey. Methods Secondary analysis of data collected in Waves 1 and 2 of the UK's Life Opportunities Survey which at Wave 2 involved the participation of 12,789 working age adults. Adjusted prevalence rate ratios were used to estimate the impact of exposure to disability and non-disability discrimination on two measures of SRH at Wave 2, controlling for SRH status at Wave 1. Results Exposure to disability discrimination in the previous year was reported by 3.9% of working age British adults. Other forms of discrimination were reported less frequently (age: 3.7%, ethnicity: 2.5%, gender: 1.6%, religion: 0.8%, sexual orientation: 0.4%). In all analyses, there were stronger associations between exposure to disability discrimination and poor SRH at Wave 2 when compared with exposure to other forms of discrimination. Conclusions Disability discrimination represents a violation of human rights. It is also likely to be a major contributor to the health inequities experienced by working age adults with disability.