Lesson 2 Exploring the Concept of Vulnerability
Vulnerable populations are groups and communities at a higher risk for poor health due to the barriers they experience to social, economic, political and environmental resources.
- economically disadvantaged adults and children (low-income, uninsured);
- racial and ethnic minorities;
- elderly;
- homeless;
- (ex)prisoners;
- people struggling with addiction;
- victims of domestic or gender-based violence;
- people with disabilities;
- those with certain medical conditions (HIV), including severe mental illness.
This Module focus on the main health issues of three vulnerable populations.
Immigrants
Elderly
Low socio-economic groups
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 2006)
The definition of “health literacy” until 2020 was “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions” (U.S. Department of Human and Health Services).
In August 2020, with the release of U.S. Government’s Healthy People 2030 initiative, it was updated addressing:
- Personal health literacy, which “is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.”
- Organizational health literacy, which “is the degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.”
“Digital Health (eHealth) refers to tools and services that use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and management of health and lifestyle” (European Commission, 2019).
“Digital Health Literacy is the ability to seek, find, understand and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem” (WHO, 2017).
