People living in disadvantaged communities in Ireland face worse health outcomes than they previously did, new research on barriers to social inclusion has found.
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report, commissioned by Pobal and published on Tuesday, looks at how barriers to social inclusion have changed over time and whether disadvantaged communities are particularly adversely affected.
The study used data from the Pobal HP Deprivation Index and the 2016 and 2022 Censuses.
Some potential barriers to social inclusion have decreased between the two census years, such as the falling rates of unemployment and low educational attainment in deprived areas.
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The study found the gap between unemployment rates in the most disadvantaged areas and the most affluent areas attenuated between 2016 and 2022, with the difference falling from 24 percentage points to 14 percentage points.
The report’s conclusions note, however, that “while lower unemployment rates are positive, they do not necessarily translate into better living standards, particularly given rising costs of living and potential job quality concerns”.
In contrast to this, the study finds a rise in poor health in the most deprived areas and worsening health outcomes for people living in disadvantaged communities.
While the number of people reporting bad or very bad health has increased across all areas, the change is most pronounced in deprived regions.
Looking at the results of the 2016 and 2022 censuses, there was an increase of 29 per cent in those in the most deprived areas reporting very bad health, compared to an increase of 22 per cent in the most affluent areas.
“This divergence may be due to long-term Covid-19 outcomes, as research has shown that the most deprived areas experienced greater health impacts, or it may be due to other health-related factors which were impacted by the pandemic.
“For example those in deprived areas with greater health needs pre-pandemic may have suffered disproportionately from the healthcare system pivoting from standard care to emergency pandemic protocols, which meant reduced clinics, operations, screenings etc,” the report stated.
The study also found an increased prevalence of ethnic minorities, particularly in cities, while lone-parent households are also more common in urban areas and more deprived areas.
Anna Shakespeare, chief executive of Pobal, said the findings “reinforce the need for place-based policymaking in Ireland”.
The study also “reinforces the need to reflect on the health of the nation, and if this has changed post-pandemic. From the data, there is clear evidence of a widening health gap between the most and least disadvantaged communities.
“This raises important considerations for healthcare resourcing and allocation across the country in the coming years,” Ms Shakespeare said.
