Socially excluded groups ‘much more likely to die early’

People excluded from mainstream society in high-income countries are much more likely to die early, according to new studies.

The University College London research, conducted in collaboration with homeless health charity Pathway and an international team of experts, has highlighted the extreme rates of death and disease faced by excluded people, as well as highlighting the need for new interventions to address this trend.

In the first of the two studies, groups including homeless people, sex workers, prisoners and hard drug users were shown to be ten times more likely to die early. This probability was nearly eight times higher than the population average for men, and nearly 12 times for women.

Causes of death included accidents, overdoses, infectious diseases, cancer, liver diseases, heart problems and respiratory diseases, with those experiencing poverty, adverse experiences and psychological trauma during childhood much more likely to be affected.

Meanwhile, the second study suggested that drug treatment, case management and psychological therapies could help to counteract these problems, as well as broader work to tackle poverty, unemployment and housing problems.

Serena Luchenski of University College London's Institute of Health Informatics said: "We urgently need investment and coordination between government, health services and social care providers to deliver high-quality comprehensive services in the community, on the streets and in institutional settings such as prisons and hospitals."

With over 20 years of experience within the science market, we at Zenopa have the knowledge, skills and expertise to help find the right job for you. To find out more about the current science roles we have available, you can search for the latest job roles, register your details, or contact the team today.