Cancer, chronic conditions and social disadvantage-the perfect storm

Abstract

Socially disadvantaged, including low socio-economic groups, experience excess rates of cancer and other chronic conditions and worse outcomes for both. This chapter firstly provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding ‘social disadvantage’ (social quality theory) and explores the equity of access to healthcare services for disadvantaged groups, highlighting that inequities in health care are complex and multi-faceted, including at the individual, health system and policy levels. The chapter then focuses on one particular socially disadvantaged group (people of culturally and linguistically diverse [CALD] backgrounds) as an example of interaction of disadvantage and disease, examining evidence on what works and what does not work in terms of creating equitable health services that address cancer and co-morbidity.