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Health Inequalities

Drivers of inequalities

In this section we draw attention to some of the main drivers of inequality in youth health. There is a range of economic and social factors that combine to influence young people’s health outcomes, which are known as the social determinants of health.

One in five secondary school aged children are eligible for free school meals

Young people in the youth justice system

Contact with the youth justice system is also associated with deprivation and a range of poorer health outcomes. Young people from the most deprived areas are twice as likely to have contact with the youth justice system than their peers in the least deprived areas, although the overall trend has gone down over time.

Young people in custody or prison are more likely to experience physical and mental health problems. It has been reported that young people in prison are 18 times more likely to take their own lives than others of the same age (CYP Health Outcomes Forum, 2012). 

Chart D8: Young people from the most deprived areas are twice as likely to enter the youth justice system, although the rate has decreased over time

All data correct as of 1st May 2022