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Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research pp 6989–6992Cite as

Vulnerable Populations

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Synonyms

Disadvantaged populations; Populations at risk

Definition

Vulnerable populations are individuals who are at greater risk of poor physical and social health status. They are considered vulnerable because of disparities in physical, economic, and social health status when compared with the dominant population. Vulnerability refers to the likelihood of contracting disease or illness. Vulnerable populations may be less able to anticipate, cope with, resist, or recover from the impacts of a hazard. The degree to which populations are vulnerable to disasters is not primarily dependent on proximity to the source of disaster. For instance, it may take only a moderate hazard event to disrupt the well-being of many socially vulnerable populations.

Description

Scholars have developed conceptualizations and representations of vulnerability (Cook et al. 2008; Cutter and Finch 2008). Vulnerability is linked to factors that increase the likelihood of an individual to contract illness or...

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References

  • Cook, D., Moore-Cox, A., Xavier, D., Lauzier, F., & Robert, I. (2008). Randomized trials in vulnerable population. Clinical Trials, 5, 61–69.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science and Public Affairs, Savannah State University, 3219 College Street, 31404, Savannah, GA, USA

    Deden Rukmana

Authors
  1. Deden Rukmana
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Deden Rukmana .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

  2. (residence), Brandon, MB, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Rukmana, D. (2014). Vulnerable Populations. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_3184

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_3184

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0752-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0753-5

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

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