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Air Pollution and Health Inequality: A Study of Low-Income Communities Access to Healthcare in Delhi, India

Wennö, Stina LU (2025) MIDM19 20251
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Air pollution severely impacts public health and contributes to diseases that affect good health-and well-being. This qualitative case study aims to evaluate how healthcare systems address-the disproportionate impacts of air pollution on low-income working communities in Delhi,-based on semi-structured interviews with NGOs, Think-Thanks and hospitals. Aspects of-healthcare access and the social determinants of health and capabilities approach were used to-evaluate health outcomes. The results suggest that low-income working communities are more-prone to seek care in a later stage of disease and neglect their symptoms. Socio-economic-factors additionally make these communities seek care at public facilities with limited capacity,-leading to... (More)
Air pollution severely impacts public health and contributes to diseases that affect good health-and well-being. This qualitative case study aims to evaluate how healthcare systems address-the disproportionate impacts of air pollution on low-income working communities in Delhi,-based on semi-structured interviews with NGOs, Think-Thanks and hospitals. Aspects of-healthcare access and the social determinants of health and capabilities approach were used to-evaluate health outcomes. The results suggest that low-income working communities are more-prone to seek care in a later stage of disease and neglect their symptoms. Socio-economic-factors additionally make these communities seek care at public facilities with limited capacity,-leading to longer waiting times and overworked staff. A lack of a referral health care system-adds to these healthcare outcomes. As a result, the capabilities of low-income working-communities are severely restricted by the lack of freedom to choose their access to healthcare-services. The study finds that these structural inequalities are the result of the inaction and-neglect from institutional, social and political systems. (Less)
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author
Wennö, Stina LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
air pollution, social determinants of health, capabilities approach, healthcare access, low-income working communities, Delhi
language
English
id
9195684
date added to LUP
2025-06-17 08:49:32
date last changed
2025-06-17 08:49:32
@misc{9195684,
  abstract     = {{Air pollution severely impacts public health and contributes to diseases that affect good health-and well-being. This qualitative case study aims to evaluate how healthcare systems address-the disproportionate impacts of air pollution on low-income working communities in Delhi,-based on semi-structured interviews with NGOs, Think-Thanks and hospitals. Aspects of-healthcare access and the social determinants of health and capabilities approach were used to-evaluate health outcomes. The results suggest that low-income working communities are more-prone to seek care in a later stage of disease and neglect their symptoms. Socio-economic-factors additionally make these communities seek care at public facilities with limited capacity,-leading to longer waiting times and overworked staff. A lack of a referral health care system-adds to these healthcare outcomes. As a result, the capabilities of low-income working-communities are severely restricted by the lack of freedom to choose their access to healthcare-services. The study finds that these structural inequalities are the result of the inaction and-neglect from institutional, social and political systems.}},
  author       = {{Wennö, Stina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Air Pollution and Health Inequality: A Study of Low-Income Communities Access to Healthcare in Delhi, India}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}