Glasgow Centre for Population Health
@thegcph.bsky.social
1K followers 560 following 110 posts
Generating insights and evidence and supporting new approaches to improve health and tackle inequality. monthly e-update: gcph.co.uk/eupdate
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thegcph.bsky.social
**GCPH has moved!**
After 10 years in Bridgeton, we have now moved to the Clarice Pears building in @uofgshw.bsky.social. As we start to settle into our new office, we look forward to working closer to our academic colleagues and to new opportunities.
In the foreground, the Clarice Pears building with the sign 'School of Health & Wellbeing'. In the background, the ARC building.
thegcph.bsky.social
New Concept Explainer! For #ChallengePoverty week, we look at poverty as a public health emergency. People in poverty face higher risks of disease, disability, and premature death, simply because of where they live and what they earn. #CPW25
Download it here: www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...
Page 1 of concept explainer: Poverty is more than a social issue - it is a public health emergency. It strips people of the basic conditions needed to live well, leading to poorer physical and mental health that can persist across generations. People living in poverty face higher risks of disease, disability, and premature death, simply because of where they live and what they earn. Health inequalities don't happen by chance, they are a direct result of unfair and avoidable social and economic injustices. While access to healthcare should be universal, poverty can make it hard to reach. Cost, lack of transport, and limited internet access mean those who need care most often struggle to get it. When life is a constant struggle, people often turn to unhealthy ways of coping just to get by and survive. Poverty drives depression, stress, isolation, poor eating habits, limited access to safe outdoor space and, for some, a reliance on substances. This isn't a choice, it's a response to despair and a lack of options. If we want to improve public health and reduce health inequalities, we must take the impact of poverty seriously. Tackling its root causes is not optional, it's the starting point for building a fairer and healthier society.
thegcph.bsky.social
A better investment in life's essentials (Day 3 #CPW25) is necessary to effectively tackle poverty. This is why the work of the @glasgowfpp.bsky.social & the Glasgow City Food Plan towards a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system is so important. Read more www.gcph.co.uk/our-work/112...
Healthy sustainable food
Healthy sustainable food
www.gcph.co.uk
thegcph.bsky.social
Removing barriers faced by some communities in accessing employment is crucial to help tackle poverty. Racialised minorities are overrepresented in low-pay sectors and underrepresented in the public sector, as seen in this CRER report: static1.squarespace.com/static/615c1... #CPW25
Quote saying: " Did you know? Just 2.8% of Scotland's public sector workforce identify as belonging to a Black and minority ethnic group, despite making up 5.8% of the working-age population."
thegcph.bsky.social
Day 2 of #CPW25, and today’s theme focusses on the importance of better jobs, pay, hours and conditions in order to tackle poverty. Did you know that the majority of adults and children living in poverty in Scotland live in a working household? www.understandingglasgow.com/glasgow-indi...
Quote saying: " Did you know? In Scotland in 2019-22, 57% of working-age adults in poverty and 69% of children in poverty lived in a working household."
thegcph.bsky.social
An inadequate Social Security, especially in situations like the cost-of-living crisis, can have a damaging impact on the lives, health, and wellbeing of society's most vulnerable people, as seen is this report #CPW25 : www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...
Quote saying: “I feel that as a disabled person I have no choice over basic things, no sense of control. I was anxious before COVID but that has spiralled and some days I just can’t function. I don’t feel safe and feel in a heightened state of anxiety most of the time, now worrying about how I can make ends meet day to day.”
thegcph.bsky.social
For day 1 of Challenge Poverty Week (theme: Social Security), we re-share this important report that demonstrates the consequences of policies that do not protect the most vulnerable from the potential harms of the cost-of-living crisis. #CPW25
www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...
Quote from the report 'The Impact of the cost-of-living crisis on disabled people: a case for action' (2023) that says: “In this cost-of-living crisis I feel the guillotine above my head all the time, I feel it so vividly. Things [finances] were always tight before, and even through COVID, but this is different, I can’t get by, everything is so much more expensive, so much more, I have no room to move. It feels like you are condemned to a joyless life being disabled in this crisis.”
thegcph.bsky.social
Important in public health history is @uofgshw.bsky.social's James McCune Smith, the first African American to obtain a medical degree. He had a long career as a respected medical doctor, writer, civil rights advocate & welfare campaigner for patients at Glasgow's infamous Lock hospital #BHM25
Portrait of James McCune Smith & Quote: McCune Smith’s legacy is a reminder of the importance of representation in medicine and public health. His advocacy for patient welfare and social justice remains relevant today, as certain communities continue to face barriers to accessing equitable healthcare and are underrepresented in medical leadership and research.
thegcph.bsky.social
👀If you missed the webinar, have a look at this recording of 'NHSGGC Healthy Weight Support Across the Life Course', which shares what is available, how to refer or signpost to this support & the difference that these supports make.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iStc...
Image of people taking part in food related activities, alongside the Good Food For All and NHS GGC logos.
Reposted by Glasgow Centre for Population Health
jrf-uk.bsky.social
A better welfare system is possible - one that treats people with dignity, compassion, and care 🤝

In our latest online listening with @demos-uk.bsky.social, we continue to see people's experience of the welfare system as inaccessible, inflexible, and inhumane. 1/2
thegcph.bsky.social
New blog!
#BlackHistoryMonth 2025: what can be learned from Glasgow’s 850th anniversary?

#BMH25 coincides with Glasgow’s 850th anniversary & invites reflection on the city’s complex history & the public health lessons we can learn from it. 🔽

gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...
"Acknowledging this past is not just about justice – it’s a public health imperative. We cannot address health disparities without confronting the historical and ongoing impact of racism."
thegcph.bsky.social
📣We are pleased to share, as part of GCPH's #cashfirst work, some new learning/training events on:

🥘Food insecurity and people seeking asylum: Understanding the barriers to accessing food

📅8th & 22nd October in Govan (& online in November)

Sign up at: shorturl.at/EyXh4
Flyer for event
thegcph.bsky.social
📣New Concept Explainer! (In light of tomorrow's
RCA Trust Gambling Harms Summit)

Problem gambling is increasingly recognised as a structural, societal issue & deprived communities have heightened vulnerability to gambling-related social harm.

Link: gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...
Problem gambling is
characterised by a loss of
control and the continuation
of gambling behaviour
despite clear financial,
emotional and psychological
harm. Public health
professionals increasingly
recognise it not as a
personal issue or weakness,
but as a structural and
societal issue with wide
reaching consequences. Evidence supports
that betting companies
disproportionately target
deprived communities,
where poverty and
financial insecurity
heighten vulnerability to
gambling-related harm,
creating cycles of debt,
stress, and social harm Young men are
particularly at risk, with
research and evidence
indicating high levels of
problem gambling within
this group. This vulnerability
is heightened by peer
pressure, aggressive
advertising strategies, and
the 24/7 availability of
online platforms.
The evidence base 
on problem gambling is
growing but, in the past,
many studies were paid for
by betting companies -
raising concerns about how
ethical, trustworthy and
reliable they are.
Independent research is vital
to understand the harm
gambling can cause today, to
create better support and
prevention systems, and to
help protect public health
thegcph.bsky.social
✨For this week's Doors Open Festival see our specially curated audio tour with @gbptrust.bsky.social & G15 Youth Project!

Learn about Glasgow's health history & explore the innovative & imaginative solutions that shaped wellbeing in the city over time 🔽
www.doorsopendays.org.uk/regions/glas...
Image for flyer for the audio tour
Reposted by Glasgow Centre for Population Health
glasgowfpp.bsky.social
Next Tuesday (23 Sept, 11:30–1), we’re hosting a webinar with NHSGGC: Healthy Weight Support Across the Life Course.

Learn about programmes from early years to adulthood -including Thrive Under 5, Weigh to Go, and breastfeeding support.

➡️ Free to join: bit.ly/healthy-weight-webinar
NHSGGC image with blue and white lines coming out from the centre of the image and the text 'NHSGGC Healthy weight support across the life course' and the NHSGGC logo in the top left corner. There are collage pictures of people cooking and eating, and people in doctors appointments, and before and after pictures of a young girl and a man having used healthy weight support services.
thegcph.bsky.social
📣New Concept Explainer!

Fundamental Causes Theory (FCT) looks at the deeper causes of health inequalities and highlights how systems of privilege and disadvantage shape who stays healthy and who does not.

See more on FCT from this morning's seminar: bsky.app/profile/theg...
Health inequalities (HIs) mean that people who live in disadvantaged areas have poorer health and die younger than those who live in wealthier areas. Some approaches for tackling health inequalities focus on things like smoking, diet, or exercise. But Fundamental Cause Theory (FCT) suggests the real issues lie deeper, in the social conditions that shape people’s lives. FCT looks at the deeper causes of HIs – the “fundamental” ones – which are inequalities in wealth, income, and power. It highlights how systems of privilege and disadvantage shape who stays healthy and who does not. FCT shifts the health inequalities narratives from individuals and their health behaviours to examining the wider structures – economic, political and social – that create unfair and avoidable differences in health. Tackling inequalities in income, wealth, and power is difficult in practice and requires political and economic commitment and reforms, that are slow and sometimes resisted. FCT challenges us to design policies and interventions that reduce these HIs at their roots, while also limiting the damage they cause in people’s lives today.
thegcph.bsky.social
Today GCPH, Mhairi MacKenzie & @uofglasgow.bsky.social colleagues hosted profs Bruce Link & Jo Phelan's talk on Fundamental Causes Theory (FCT).

Kat Smith then chaired a stimulating discussion on how FCT can be used address health inequalities & steer action.

📝Concept explainer & blog to follow...
Prof Bruce Link describing Fundamental Causes Theory Kat Smith from University of Strathclyde chairing the panel
thegcph.bsky.social
We were delighted to host some fantastic young people from G15 Youth Project last week!

G15 YP kindly volunteered to narrate our new audio tour 'Pioneering the Health of the City' for #Glasgow850 and Glasgow Doors Open Days 2025.

More info via DoD website:
www.doorsopendays.org.uk/regions/glas...
Members of G15 Youth Project
thegcph.bsky.social
📣 We are delighted to announce that GCPH & partners including @yunuscentregcu.bsky.social are commencing work on a new Community Wealth Building study to see if retaining more wealth in local communities can prevent premature deaths and tackle health inequalities. 🔽

www.gcph.co.uk/latest/news-...
Illustration of people in a community, along with workers and a £ sign to indicate the role of Community Wealth Building
thegcph.bsky.social
📣New e-update!
We are pleased to share our August e-update which highlights our recent work, publications and collaborations:
enewsletters.tictocfamily.com/t/r-e-tkmuyd...
GCPH August e-update
thegcph.bsky.social
🗓️Cash First webinar Join us on 2/09, 11am-12pm

A reminder that you can join us to hear more about
Glasgow Helps, followed by an overview of the Support & Information Service’s emergency crisis support available at hospitals across NHS GGC. gcph.co.uk/latest/event...
Glasgow Helps, and NHS GGC’s crisis support in hospitals
Via Zoom webinar
gcph.co.uk
thegcph.bsky.social
📢 New Concept Explainer!

'Missingness', a term used in health and social care, describes the recurring pattern of not taking up offers of care or support, which can have a negative impact on an individual's health and wellbeing.

Download from our website: www.gcph.co.uk/latest/publi...
Missingness is a term recently used in health and social care. It is more than just missing a few appointments: it describes the recurring pattern of not taking up offers of care or support, often across different services, which overtime can have a negative impact on individuals and their health and wellbeing. This pattern and its cumulative impact may not be detected by those offering support. Missing two or more appointments in primary care has been linked to a tripling of risk of premature death for individuals with a physical health condition, and an eight-fold increase for those with a mental health condition, even when adjusting for multiple patient and practice factors. Barriers to accessing or engaging with care are likely to be complex, significant and enduring for those experiencing missingness. Many of these are connected to poverty, existing health needs, stigma and the wider social determinants of health. Applying a missingness ‘lens’ shifts the blame from individuals and instead considers what aspects of the health and social care system create barriers for people to access. This could include identifying who is missing, understanding their experiences and barriers to engagement, and offering approaches tailored to their needs.
thegcph.bsky.social
We were delighted to host Media Education and their Thrive advisory group today, to hear about their fantastic project which uses creative filmmaking & user led research to explore barriers to accessing mental health services: mediaeducation.co.uk/projects/thr...
The GCPH Team, Media Education and the Thrive Education in a meeting room
thegcph.bsky.social
🗓️Cash First webinar

Join us on 11/09, 11am-12pm to find out about the Community Guiders Training model that has been co-produced with community organisations in Dundee to improve cash first awareness and to drive anti-poverty work in communities.

Book here: www.gcph.co.uk/latest/event...
What is Community Guiders Training and how can it be used?
Via Zoom webinar
www.gcph.co.uk