Poverty and ill health

Many different definitions of poverty are used in the development sector. These range from income and/or consumption-based definitions, to definitions emphasising the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, and highlight its many manifestations, in addition to lack of income. These include:

• lack of productive resources to sustain livelihoods
• limited or no access to basic services such as water, health and education
• hunger and malnutrition
• increased morbidity and mortality
• living in an unsafe or insecure environment
• poor or no housing
• lack of participation in social, cultural and political life
• social discrimination or exclusion.

Broader conceptualisations of poverty suggest that insecurity and vulnerability can be experienced on a number of different fronts simultaneously, and that the different manifestations of poverty can reinforce each other. For example, hunger can lead to malnutrition which can be a casual factor in ill-health. In turn, chronic ill-health can affect an individual's ability to participate in social and community activities, and, in turn, could lead to social exclusion.