People living in poverty become sick more often and die younger than those who are better off, a conference heard today.
The conference, entitled "Target Setting to Reduce Health Inequalities", organised by the Combat Poverty Agency, heard that people affected by ill-health were more likely to live on a low income because they were unable to gain employment or their employment experience was sporadic due to ill-health.
The agency's director Helen Johnston said a study by Combat Poverty showed more than two thirds of the families interviewed about what living in poverty was like had health problems.
Ms Johnston said: "The state of people's physical health was connected to their generally poor quality of life.
She said: "For many, stress, isolation and depression were induced by lack of money and an inadequate income made a healthy diet difficult".
"It is vital that the policy choices we make have a positive impact on the health outcomes of people in poverty, and the targets and related indicators we set are appropriate and meaningful," she added.
The conference at Croke Park, Dublin, is one of a series of intitiatives by the Agency aimed at informing the next National Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Minister for State at the Department of Health Brian Lenihan told delegates some of the key targets, such as reducing the difference between socio-economic groups for low birth weight rates and for cancer mortality, were not easily achieved in the short term, but were important areas to focus on.
"Whatever targets are chosen for the next Action Plan, I think a key issue will be the degree to which people experiencing poverty and social exclusion have equity of access to, and benefit from, the health services," the Minister said.
"One of the challenges facing all of us who have an interest in reducing health inequalities and poverty is the need to take into account the broad social determinants of health.
"While access to quality health services has an important role to play in improving health in our population and in reducing health inequalities, the health system on its own cannot do this.
"Income, employment, education, housing, transport, physical environment, safe and socially supportive communities and an environment that supports healthy lifestyle choices are also important ingredients," he said.
Additional reporting by PA
