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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.

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).
All data correct as of 1st May 2022