New research published this week suggests that people with low incomes are more prone to ill health because of the stress associated with their social position, rather than lack of money for healthcare.

Researchers at the University of Stirling found that simply having low pay or wealth was not a satisfactory explanation to poor health. They were seeking to explain why the well documented link between low income and poor health occurs, even in countries like the UK where healthcare is free.

It was found that the way low income effects people’s relative social rankings to those around them could explain why those with less wealth are more likely to be in bad health.

Lead researcher Michael Daly, from the university’s Behavioural Science Centre, explained: “Our research first showed that the less people earn or own, the worse their health. This was indicated by greater reports of illness and a worse profile of common biological markers like blood pressure, cholesterol and waist circumference.

“However, all the health measures we examined were more closely related to the ranked position of the person’s income or wealth compared to people of the same age, education or geographic area, rather than their income or wealth alone.” He added: “We know from primate research that low-ranking primates can suffer chronic stress and resulting health consequences, even when food is readily available. Our study found that people who have an income that ranks lower than others tend to go on to experience poor health, while the actual amount they earn or own has no significant health effect.” The research took into account date on income, wealth and health collected from over 40,000 adults.