Social Exclusion, Social Deprivation and Health

Abstract

The literature on social deprivation, social exclusion, and health forms part of the vast body of evidence on the social inequalities in health. People in the most disadvantaged social groups and communities experience a multitude of different types of social exclusion processes such as homelessness, school exclusions, or long-term unemployment, which in turn results in poor health, disease, and disability. The associations between poor health and different dimensions of deprivation, such as income, area, employment, and educational deprivation are well documented. However, there remains some debate about the causal direction of the association. The links between poor health and social exclusion processes such as discrimination, mental illness, homelessness, and asylum seeking are also well documented. Policy responses have tended to focus on lifting the most deprived and excluded individuals out of poverty. However, others have argued on the need for proportionate universalism, which focuses on reducing the steepness of the social gradient in health, through policy actions that are universal, applicable, and appropriate across different social groups.