The Scottish Burden of Disease Study 2016

The Scottish Burden of Disease (SBoD) study team has published a new report that outlines how what we are living with and dying from is impacted by health inequalities.

The SBoD 2016 Deprivation report is available by clicking here

Over the next week excel data files containing all the YLL, YLD and DALY estimates by age, sex, deprivation level and local authority will be loaded onto the same area of the ScotPHO website here alongside technical overviews for the leading causes of burden.

The team are very keen to work with you to use this information. Please get in touch (email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you want further information, for them to come and present the results, or if you want to work more closely with them on using this information.

Key findings from the report include:

  • The disease burden in the most deprived areas in Scotland was more than double that found in the least deprived areas (14.1% v. 6.7%), and the burden increased with each level of deprivation.
  • Nearly a third (32.9%) of the disease burden in Scotland could be avoided if the whole population had the same rate of burden as those in the least deprived areas of Scotland.
  • In deprived areas, early death contributed more burden than living with ill health (57.9% of burden due to early death). Whereas, in the least deprived areas people were more likely to live with ill health (45.4% of burden due to early death). However, there were still fewer people living with, or dying early from, ill health in the least deprived areas than there were in the most deprived areas.
  • The fatal burden rate was three times higher in the most deprived areas in Scotland compared with the least deprived areas, with men aged 15 years and over experiencing a higher proportion of this burden than women.
  • For most of the leading causes of disease burden in Scotland, the overall burden was greater in the most deprived areas compared with the least deprived areas, e.g. drug use disorders (17.0 times higher), alcohol dependence (8.4 times higher), chronic liver disease (7.2 times higher), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (6.2 times higher) and lung cancer (4.3 times higher).
  • There was little or no difference in burden across areas of deprivation for some diseases, such as musculoskeletal conditions, migraine and sense organ diseases (such as impaired hearing or vision).
  • The leading causes of disease burden across areas of deprivation also varied by age group. For example, in the most deprived areas drug use disorders were the leading cause of disease burden in people aged 15–44, however, they were not one of the leading causes in the least deprived areas.

From Fife Voluntary Action Bulletin 30 August 2018