The structural roots of multimorbidity: social inequalities, health disparities, and systemic challenges in Southern Spain
Low-income and female residents in deprived areas face distinct, overlapping health conditions requiring tailored, equity-focused medical approaches.
This mixed-methods study (n=1592 survey + 18 qualitative interviews) in deprived southern Spain identified five socially stratified multimorbidity patterns, demonstrating that complex multimorbidity disproportionately burdens lower-income and female populations. Findings underscore the need for equity-oriented, integrated chronic care models that incorporate social determinants.
What the study was
- Study design
- Mixed-methods sequential explanatory design; cross-sectional survey (n=1592 aged ≥50) + qualitative interviews (n=18)
- Population
- Adults aged 50+ with multimorbidity in southern Spain (deprived region)
- Sample size
- 1592
- Category
- Public Health
- Maturity
- Exploratory
- Journal
- International Journal for Equity in Health
Why it surfaced
Rigorous mixed-methods characterization of multimorbidity social patterning is relevant to population health planning; findings from a deprived region have broader generalizability to similar healthcare settings globally.
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