Tuesday August 19th 2025
West Lothian Council headquarters
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
West Lothian is the “poor relation” of its neighbours across the former regional council area.
A region wide survey conducted in the wake of the Covid pandemic saw the county trail behind Edinburgh and East Lothian in physical and emotional health issues.
While investment and unemployment levels in the county shows it is in a relatively strong position, the Lothian Public Health Survey results for West Lothian found stark differences compared to its neighbours, members of the local Integration Joint Board heard.
In a report to members of the Board, which includes non-voting health and social care professionals as well as voting members and local councillors Alison White, the chief officer, said: “The initial analyses presented within this summary report confirm the existence of stark socio-economic inequalities in health outcomes in Lothian, with those living in areas of deprivation typically experiencing worse health than those in more affluent areas.”
The Lothian Public Health Survey 2023 was conducted to improve understanding of the health, well-being and social circumstances of the Lothian population.
Nearly 15,000 respondents across Lothian took part, allowing robust and representative analysis of the Lothian population and key groups within.
Ms White’s report highlighted the local poor experiences across a wide range of areas including mental health, experience of mobility issues and pain/discomfort.
She added: “Striking socio-economic inequalities are also observed in individuals’ access to, and experience of factors known to affect health outcomes, such as perceptions of community safety, exposure to the private rental market and social supports”
The survey highlighted key issues such as poor diet and nutrition as well as health and social inequalities.
The Board heard the survey found West Lothian residents reported lower levels of perceived community safety compared to other areas in the Lothians.
Fruit and vegetable consumption was lower in West Lothian than in the capital.
The report detailed that deprivation in West Lothian is linked to:
Poorer mental and physical health
Higher smoking and vaping rates
Lower physical activity levels
The study found residents in the county faced barriers to accessing services like screening and dental care were more pronounced in deprived parts of West Lothian, further west in the county .
Residents in deprived areas of West Lothian are more likely to experience low mental well-being, loneliness, and low life satisfaction, members heard .
Ms White told the meeting: “The survey reports both an urgent need for short term mitigation and longer-term action targeting the building blocks of health.”
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