Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Health Inequalities

Health inequalities are systematic, avoidable, and unjust differences in health status and access to care among population groups defined by social, economic, demographic, or geographic characteristics. They arise from the unequal distribution of the social determinants of health, including income, education, housin…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 6 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 6× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Health inequalities are systematic, avoidable, and unjust differences in health status and access to care among population groups defined by social, economic, demographic, or geographic characteristics. They arise from the unequal distribution of the social determinants of health, including income, education, housing, working conditions, and power, so that disadvantaged groups bear a disproportionate burden of illness and premature death. The concept encompasses disparities across the life course and among specific populations: mental-health disparities affecting LGBTQ+ youth, for example, reflect the influence of stigma and exclusion on well-being, while the nutritional status and health outcomes of women and children in resource-constrained settings illustrate how poverty and gender intersect to shape risk. Crises can widen existing gaps, as seen in the differential impacts of pandemic-related social isolation on older adults and in the strain placed on intergenerational care arrangements. Behavioural risk factors are themselves socially patterned, and equity-oriented public-health strategies, such as roadmaps toward tobacco-free societies, seek to reduce gradients in exposure and harm. Addressing health inequalities requires action beyond clinical services, targeting structural and environmental drivers, ensuring fair access to prevention and treatment, and engaging affected communities. As an analytic framework, the study of health inequalities links epidemiology, social science, and policy to advance health equity.

Research published in this journal

6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 6 articles above have been cited 6 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Health Inequalities, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Tropical Diseases and Medicine.

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.