Vulnerable groups
Health managers and policy-makers need to understand which groups are particularly at risk of falling ill or are unable to recover from ill-health, particularly due to problems in accessing health care.
The definition of vulnerable groups varies between countries, but amongst the most important defining characteristics are age, sex, ethnicity and location. But also important are people with disabilities and stigmatised illnesses, such as mental ill-health. In areas facing war or civil conflicts displaced people and refugees form an important vulnerable group. This section presents some ways that vulnerable groups are defined and how health systems have been adapted to meet their needs.
- Slum health: diseases of neglected populations
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This article examines the distinct set of health problems that occur in urban slums. With one billion people currently estimated to live in such communities, this neglected population has become a major reservoir for a wide spectrum of health conditions that are not well recognised by the formal health sector.
Recommended readings
- Health and ageing: a discussion paper
- ( P. Edwards / Ageing and Life Course (WHO) , 2001)
- Global ageing puts increasing economic and social demands on all countries, but older people also provide a precious, often-ignored resource. A discussion paper, produced by the World Health Organizat...
- Chronic poverty and remote rural areas
- ( K. Bird; D. Hulme; K. Moore; A. Shepherd / Chronic Poverty Research Centre, UK , 2002)
- Successive policy approaches have failed to relieve long-term poverty among people living in remote rural areas (RRAs). This working paper from the Chronic Poverty Research Centre looks at the factors...
- Public health and humanitarian interventions: developing the evidence base
- ( N. Banatvala; A. Zwi / British Medical Journal , 2000)
- During an emergency response, there is a tension between saving lives in the short term and promoting longer-lasting health systems development. An article in the British Medical Journal makes the cas...
Latest Additions
- American Indian elders are on the crest of a chronic disease epidemic
- ( D.E. Satter;S.P. Wallace / Health Disparities Program, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research , 2010)
- The elderly population (age 55 and older) among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) is projected to increase from 5.5% of the total U.S. AIAN population in 1990 to 12.6% in 2050. Many are faili...
- The importance of social protection systems in encouraging fairer division of paid and unpaid work
- ( United Nations [UN] Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean , 2009)
- This paper links trends in poverty and income distribution with social protection systems, placing special emphasis on how these systems have responded to the social impacts of recent crisis. The repo...
