The association between social exclusion or inclusion and health in EU and OECD countries: a systematic review.

Background: Social exclusion (SE), or the inability to participate fully in society, is considered one of the driving forces of health inequalities. Systematic evidence on this subject is pertinent but scarce. This review aims to systematically summarise peer reviewed studies examining the association between the multidimensional concepts of SE and social inclusion (SI) and health among adults in EU and OECD countries.

Social Exclusion Index-for Health Surveys (SEI-HS): a prospective nationwide study to extend and validate a multidimensional social exclusion questionnaire.

Background: Social exclusion (SE) refers to the inability of certain groups or individuals to fully participate in society. SE is associated with socioeconomic inequalities in health, and its measurement in routine public health monitoring is considered key to designing effective health policies. In an earlier retrospective analysis we demonstrated that in all four major Dutch cities, SE could largely be measured with existing local public health monitoring data.

Equity-specific effects of 26 Dutch obesity-related lifestyle interventions.

Context: Reducing health inequalities is a policy priority in many developed countries. Little is known about effective strategies to reduce inequalities in obesity and its underlying behaviors. The goal of the study was to investigate differential effectiveness of interventions aimed at obesity prevention, the promotion of physical activity or a healthy diet by SES.

Stressors and resources mediate the association of socioeconomic position with health behaviours.

Background: Variability in health behaviours is an important cause of socioeconomic health disparities. Socioeconomic differences in health behaviours are poorly understood. Previous studies have examined whether (single) stressors or psychosocial resources mediate the relationship between socioeconomic position and health or mortality.

Prevention for elderly people: demand-oriented or problem-oriented?

Objective: To examine the association between self-expressed information needs and corresponding observed health and lifestyle issues in elderly people.

Methods: Data were used from the 2006 community health survey in Utrecht, a medium-sized city in the Netherlands. Data of 1634 people aged 55 years and older were available for analyses (response 64%).