Poverty can make people ill, but the opposite is also true: illness can cause poverty. There is a range of reasons for poverty and social disadvantage. However, the effects on health are undisputed
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Illness can lead to unemployment and make it difficult to find a new job. There is a huge risk that those affected will become dependent on social assistance.
Unfavourable life circumstances, such as bad working or living conditions, debt and long-term unemployment can jeopardize a person's mental and physical well-being.
Children in socially disadvantaged families often suffer in their development. Preschool care and support services considerably increase equal opportunity when the children enter compulsory schooling.
But poverty and social disadvantage often go hand in hand with a lower level of health literacy, i.e. the ability to make decisions in one's daily life that have a positive effect on one's health.
The broad range of easy-to-understand health information available on migesplus in up to 56 languages promotes health literacy among poor and socially disadvantaged members of society.