Health in all we do

Whether it is our physical health or our mental health, lives are being made more difficult, and unhappier by ill health. Some people in Southampton will live shorter lives than they should due to poor health. In our city, if you are male, on average you will die 7.8 years earlier if you live in the most deprived (least affluent) areas compared to if you live in the least deprived. For women, the difference is 3.4 years.​ These unfair, avoidable differences in health between different groups of people are called ‘health inequalities’.

As a city, we aspire to reduce these inequalities and improve the health and lives of all our residents. Having a healthier city will increase prosperity, which is good news for everyone. It will also increase people’s independence and reduce demand on many of our services. When people are healthy they can more easily participate and contribute to society and economic development. So it is right that organisations in the city consider health in everything we do, and work to reduce health inequalities, if we want Southampton and its residents to thrive.

We tend to think of people’s health as individualistic, caused partly by their genes or their ‘innate healthiness’, what they eat, how much they exercise, how easy it is to access the healthcare they need, and so on. 

But the truth is that a large part of what makes us healthy is related to our circumstances such as our jobs, homes, education and our surroundings. These are the building blocks of health. When some of the blocks are not in place or are in bad shape, for example through poor housing or social isolation, or if we have insecure employment and are constantly worrying about making ends meet, it puts a strain on our bodies. This can result in increased stress, high blood pressure, and a weaker immune system for example.

Find out more about the building blocks of health.

As employers and organisations with a strong influence in Southampton, we have an important part to play in improving the health of our city.

Many of the things we do as employers and as corporate entities have an impact on people’s health – both positive and negative. For Southampton-based organisations with large numbers of staff the scale of the impact can be quite significant.

In the same way that the council is encouraging everyone to act on climate change and sustainability, we are asking local employers and organisations to also consider the impact of their work on the health of Southampton residents and ways to reduce health inequalities.

Learn more about the project or see what your organisation can do.