Dr Amir Khan: Why health is shaped by more than healthcare alone

As a GP, Dr Amir Khan sees everyday how our health is influenced by far more than healthcare alone. Our Director, Paul McDonald, heard from him about why he got involved in our Shelf Life campaign. 

Why did you want to be part of our Shelf Life campaign? 

A couple of reasons. First of all, I grew up in a deprived part of Bradford, so I know what it’s like to have parents who struggle to pay bills, put food on the table, and still work incredibly hard. Things like warm homes and good education have a huge impact on health from an early age. 

Now, as a GP in Bradford, I see firsthand how social deprivation, and these social factors that people have little control over, affect their health and life expectancy. That’s why I wanted to support this campaign. It’s vital that we shine a light on the gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest communities, but even more important that we take action to change it. 

You’re a working GP in Bradford, where life expectancy is around 79, nine years lower than in some parts of the country. What would it mean to you to improve life expectancy in every postcode across the UK? 

It would mean a great deal to me, but more importantly, it would change the lives of my patients. Every day I see the impact these factors have on people’s mental and physical health, increasing the risk of conditions like heart disease, asthma and respiratory illness. 

But we’re not just talking about life expectancy. Healthy life expectancy matters too. People in more deprived communities often spend more years living with illness and poor health. Making sure everyone has access to good housing, quality education, cleaner air and healthy food would help people live not only longer lives, but healthier and happier ones. That benefits all of us. 

What experiences have you had as a GP seeing this come to life for people? 

It often starts with mental health. When people can’t afford housing or struggle to pay their bills, the stress affects the whole family. We see that in higher rates of anxiety and depression. But we also know that chronic stress has physical effects too, impacting blood pressure, heart health and the immune system. 

We see these inequalities from a very young age. Poor housing, damp and mould increase the risk of asthma in children. Higher levels of air pollution can lead to more respiratory infections, more asthma attacks and more hospital admissions. In adults, air pollution is linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease as well. 

Education plays an important role too. More affluent areas often have access to better schools, but children also do better when they have access to green spaces, which many deprived communities lack. 

Alongside all of this, many people are time poor. They’re working two or three jobs just to make ends meet. That makes it much harder to do the things that support good health and wellbeing, whether that’s spending time outdoors, being active or preparing healthy meals. It’s important that we understand the challenges people face rather than assuming the solutions are simple. 

Ultimately, many of the things that shape our health happen outside the healthcare system. Better housing, cleaner air, access to green spaces and affordable healthy food are the building blocks of good health. That’s what the Health Equals campaign is highlighting, and why change is so important. 

The gap between health and wealth is growing, and we need to reverse that. By supporting the Health Equals campaign and encouraging politicians to take action, we can make health a national priority and help ensure everyone has the chance to live a longer, healthier life.