Kendall, Ellen J., Brown, Alex T., Doran, Tim et al. (2 more authors) (2021) Health inequality in Britain before 1750. SSM - Population Health. 100957. ISSN 2352-8273
Abstract
Background: This study examines the claim that social inequality in health in European populations was absent prior to 1750. This claim is primarily based on comparisons of life expectancy at birth in England between general and ducal (elite aristocrat) social classes from the 1550s to the 1870s. Methods: We examined historic childhood mortality trends among the English ducal class and the general population, based on previously published data. We compared mid-childhood to adolescent mortality (age 5–14) and early-childhood mortality (age 0–4) between the ducal class and the general population from the 17th to 19th centuries. Results: Prior to 1750, ducal early-childhood mortality was higher than the general population. However, mid-childhood to adolescent mortality was lower among the ducal class than the general population in all observed periods for boys, and almost all periods for girls. Among the ducal class, but not the general population, there was a sharp decline in early-childhood mortality around the 1750s which may partly explain the divergent trends in overall life expectancy at birth. Conclusion: Health inequality between the ducal class and general population was present in England from the 16th to mid-18th centuries, with disadvantages in mortality for ducal children in infancy and early childhood, but survival advantages in mid-childhood and adolescence. These opposing effects are obscured in life expectancy at birth data. Relatively high early-childhood mortality among ducal families before 1750 likely resulted from short birth intervals and harmful infant feeding practices during this time.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | Funding Information: This research was funded in whole, or in part, by the Wellcome Trust [Grant No. 205427/Z/16/Z ]. For the purpose of open access, the authors have applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not the Wellcome Trust. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors |
Keywords: | Childhood mortality,Early modern England,Historical demography,Life expectancy,Social inequality |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Health Sciences (York) The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Physics (York) The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Centre for Health Economics (York) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number WELLCOME TRUST 205427/Z/16/Z |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 08 Dec 2021 11:30 |
Last Modified: | 13 Nov 2024 09:16 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100957 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100957 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:181369 |
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Description: Health inequality in Britain before 1750
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