Prevention and socioeconomic disadvantage

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Counselling in behavioural risk factors links chronic disease prevention and chronic disease care in the day-to-day work of general practice. This is particularly so in diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Each of these conditions is significantly more common in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, suggesting that preventive activity may be particularly important for these groups; but what does that mean for general practitioners working with individual patients in their practice? OBJECTIVE: This article sets out some broad approaches to making sure that preventive activity in general practice reaches effectively those living in adverse socioeconomic circumstances. DISCUS..