Building a healthier Britain. Part 4, Social status.

The last in a four-part series in which Richard Hannaford looks at how since the 1950s doctors have continuously researched people's health and lifestyle, leading to epidemiological studies, the results of which we can perhaps now begin to assess. This part focuses on how social status effects our general health. New research suggests higher status at work leads to longer life expectancy. Some researchers say this is a simple link between health and poverty, but researchers like Prof. Sir Michael Marmot believe that the lower you are in the employment hierachy, the more stressful your life is.