Mapping health vulnerabilities: Exploring territorial profiles to support health policies

Abstract

Vulnerability processes and effects, al-beit of great importance to cohesion and territorial policies, are nonetheless still underexplored and narrowly operationalized in scientific research. In particular, most assessments rely on economic indicators and a limited territorial scale, which do not have the same analytic potential of a broader view at a national level with regional/municipal similarities, specificities, and inter-connections. This gap also applies to health-related vulnera-bilities, which, stemming from a lack of socioeconomic and environmental resources, has increased during and after the economic crisis of the past decade. This paper aims to analyze the health vulnerability phenomena in Portugal from a spatial perspective. Following a Multiple Correspondence Analysis, different territorial profiles of social vulnerability associated with the population health condition and access to and use of “health ser-vices” are identified. We conclude by outlining the importance of adding the spatial context to health policies addressing vulnerabilities and suggest avenues for future research.