Urban Health and Social Marginality: Perceived Health Status and Interaction with Healthcare Professionals of a Hard-to-Reach Community Living in a Suburban Area of Rome (Italy)

Susanna Caminada, Federica Turatto, Silvia Iorio, Lorenzo Paglione, Miriam Errigo, Elena Mazzalai, Anissa Jaljaa, Dara Giannini, Marco Tofani, Maria Benedetta Michelazzo, Adelaide Landi, Massimo Napoli, Maria Alessandra Brandimarte, Livia Maria Salvatori, Aurora Angelozzi, Giovanni Baglio, Enrico Di Rosa, Alessandra Battisti and Maurizio Marceca
Additional contact information
Susanna Caminada: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Federica Turatto: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Silvia Iorio: Department of Medico-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Lorenzo Paglione: Department of Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Miriam Errigo: Department of Social Sciences and Economics, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Elena Mazzalai: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Anissa Jaljaa: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Dara Giannini: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Marco Tofani: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Maria Benedetta Michelazzo: Section of Hygiene, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 00168 Rome, Italy
Adelaide Landi: Department of Prevention, Local Health Unit Roma 1, 00135 Rome, Italy
Massimo Napoli: Department of Prevention, Local Health Unit Roma 1, 00135 Rome, Italy
Maria Alessandra Brandimarte: Department of Prevention, Local Health Unit Roma 1, 00135 Rome, Italy
Livia Maria Salvatori: District 3, Local Health Unit Roma 1, 00139 Rome, Italy
Aurora Angelozzi: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Baglio: Research and International Relations Office, Agenzia Nazionale per i Servizi Sanitari Regionali (AGENAS), 00187 Rome, Italy
Enrico Di Rosa: Department of Prevention, Local Health Unit Roma 1, 00135 Rome, Italy
Alessandra Battisti: Department of Planning, Design, and Technology of Architecture, Sapienza University of Rome, 00196 Rome, Italy
Maurizio Marceca: Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-14

Abstract: The study reports an urban health investigation conducted in Bastogi, an outskirt of Rome (Italy) characterised by social marginalization and deprivation. Our aim was to analyse the health perception, health-related behaviours, and interaction with healthcare professionals of the inhabitants of Bastogi compared to the population living in the area of the same local health unit (ASL). The Progresses of Health Authorities for Health in Italy questionnaire (PASSI) was administered to a sample of 210 inhabitants of Bastogi. Data were analysed and compared to those of the ASL collected in 2017–2018. The socio-economic indicators showed an overall worse condition for the inhabitants of Bastogi, with a significantly higher proportion of foreign and unemployed residents and a lower educational level compared to the ASL. Significant differences in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, mental health complaints, and participation in prevention strategies, including cancer screening, were found. The questionnaire showed a lower help-seeking behaviour and a lack of reliance on health professionals in Bastogi inhabitants. Our findings highlight how social determinants produce health inequities and barriers to accessing healthcare. The difficulties of conducting quantitative research in complex and hard-to-reach contexts, characterized by high social vulnerability, are outlined.

Keywords: urban health; social determinants of health; health inequities; hard-to-reach groups; health-related behaviours; healthcare use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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