Whether we have the power to make healthy choices or to influence decision makers to create more green space, the amount of power we have over the decisions that affect us has an impact on our health.
The Glasgow Centre for Population Health (GCPH) and NHS Helth Scotland, have produced a short film which they hope will help people to understand the importance of power in shaping social and health inequalities and, crucially, see how they can support communities to have more power.
Some people have greater power than others. This means they have more opportunities than others to live longer, healthier lives. For example, people on higher incomes have more options over where they live than people on low incomes. They have the power to move somewhere that could be better for their health, with nice parks, more jobs and better schools.
In contrast, people who are homeless have very little power to keep themselves warm and well, and may have limited choices to make informed decisions. Aspects of life such as housing, education, employment and health and social care are all areas that are affected by the amount of power someone has.
The amount of power we have over our lives contributes to the health and wellbeing of individuals and groups across Scotland. It is important that we identify actions that will lead to power being shared more equally so that everyone has the power to make changes – personally or in their communities – to ensure we can all live longer, healthier lives.
