Rates of mental ill-health and suicide are significantly higher in economically-deprived areas across Ireland, North and South, according to a report out today.
The report, published by the Public Health Alliance, also states that men from the lowest socio-economic groups in the North live on average six years fewer than men in the highest socio-economic groups, while in the Republic men have the lowest life expectancy in the EU at 65 years.
It also says that people in lower socio-economic groups in both the North and the South have a higher incidence of cancer and poorer survival rates compared to those in higher socio-economic groups. Health Inequalities on the Island of Ireland - the Facts, the Causes, the Remedies draws on a range of sources to highlight the impact of poverty and social exclusion on the health of people in Ireland.
Referring to children's health, it says those from disadvantaged backgrounds in the North are twice as likely to die before the age of 15 as children of professional parents. The report shwos that children born in less well-off areas in the Republic are more likely to die before the age of one than those born in more advantaged areas.
"Poorer people and those who are socially excluded suffer poorer health and, therefore, need more services. However, it is often the case that there are fewer services where the need is greatest, and that the services which are provided are not appropriate to the needs of those they serve," the report says.
"In addressing the impact of health inequality across the island of Ireland, all efforts must be rooted in social justice as well as provision of appropriate, accessible services provided on the basis of need and not ability to pay," it adds.