Study reveals effects of poverty-related illnesses
Here, almost 40% of people at risk of poverty suffer from a chronic illness compared to less than a quarter of the general population.
And in the North, almost 50% of unskilled workers suffer from a long-standing illness, compared to 30% of professionals and managers.
The study, jointly published by the Institute of Public Health and the Combat Poverty Agency, calls for urgent action at government level to tackle the problem of health inequality between social groups.
It points out that those at risk of poverty are one and a half times more likely to suffer from chronic illness than the general population. And people living in poverty are almost twice as likely to die prematurely.
It also highlights how the health of some socially excluded groups is even more severely affected.
Travellers in Ireland live on average 10 to 12 years less than the general population while homeless people were vulnerable to ill health and premature death.
Last year, 55 homeless people who had been in contact with Simon Communities services died prematurely.
And while life expectancy has been increasing overall in the North in recent years for both men and women, there was no evidence of a narrowing of the inequality gap.
In Ireland, 85% of middle income people said they had good or very good health compared to only 66% of those experiencing income poverty.
The report also highlights Ireland’s poor record on child poverty, pointing out that it had the third highest rate of child poverty in the EU.
Chief executive of the Institute of Public Health, Jane Wilde, said the impact of poor social conditions was huge in terms of lives lost and harmed.
“As well as the injustice of inequality, there is a real and fundamental cost to the economy.”
Ms Wilde said the higher level of ill-health among the poor undermined the island’s competitiveness in a global market, as well as placing unnecessary pressures on the health services.
Acting director of Combat Poverty, Kevin O’Kelly, said many of the social factors that cause and perpetuate health inequalities were outside the control of the health services.
Mr O’Kelly said the study showed that reducing health inequalities and improving the health of the population depended on preventative measures across a range of policies and that required a “whole government” approach.
The launch of the study coincides with the publication of the final report of the World Health Organisation’s Commission on Social Determinants of Health.
The commission brought together scientists and practitioners to provide evidence on policies that improve health by addressing the social conditions in which people live and work, as well as collaborating with countries to support policy change and monitor results.
Commission chairman Michael Marmot described the Irish report as wonderfully encouraging. “If acted upon, it has the potential not only to reduce health inequities in Ireland, but also to serve as an exemplar of what can be done in a specific country,” he said.
