Arthritis brings an elevated risk of income poverty for Australians
The ‘social determinants of health’ theory is a well-known concept. Previous research has shown people with low incomes often have poor health outcomes, and this is thought to occur because having a low income makes you more likely to develop poor health due to poorer housing, nutrition or life style choices.
New research by Dr Emily Callander challenges that assumption, and her findings instead suggest an inverse relationship also exists – that poor health makes you more likely to fall into income poverty.
Dr Callander’s study utilised five years of data, with 3,754 people across Australia participating, and found that people who developed arthritis had an elevated risk of income poverty and an even greater risk of multidimensional poverty.
“Low income is known to be associated with having arthritis, but no previous longitudinal studies have documented the relationship between developing arthritis and then falling into poverty - the purpose of this research was to examine the inverse of social determinants of health,” explains Dr Callander.
“Looking at the living standards of people experiencing chronic disease is important, especially with conditions such as arthritis as it is generally associated with morbidity rather than mortality and so the impact on people is best captured through the effect it has on their quality of life, which in this instance is particularly profound.
“As arthritis is an extremely common condition, especially in the elderly, it is likely an overlooked driver of poverty and that’s an important area of research to dedicate more attention to,” said Dr Callander.
Dr Callender is currently conducting a suite of research into the relationship between chronic disease and family living standards over time, her upcoming studies focus on the effects of asthma and diabetes on poverty levels.