Exploring the impact of health inequalities on the health of adults with intellectual disability from their perspective

Across every indicator of health inequality adults with intellectual disability (ID) are disadvantaged. However, first hands accounts from adults with ID exploring the impact health inequalities have for their health are absent from the literature. The research reported in this paper was underpinned by a participatory approach. It involved men with ID as members of a steering group and as participants through 20 qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis revealed how low income and reduced employment had a negative impact on the men’s physical and psychological health. New findings show how living in socially deprived areas of a UK city exposed the men to constant threats to their physical safety with an adverse effect on their health. The study suggests how the intersection of gender, disability and health can yield nuanced understandings into how health inequalities affect this male population on an everyday basis.