ArticlePloS one2026
Exploring health inequalities by language proficiency; A routine health records study set in England.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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2 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundWithin the UK, more than a million people cannot speak English well or at all. The lack of data on English proficiency means that the link between English proficiency and health status and care utilisation is not comprehensively quantified.
objectiveDescribe the association between English proficiency and patients' health status and healthcare utilisation, and demonstrate that GP data can be useful in understanding the health burdens of those with poor language proficiency.
methodsThe Northwest London (NWL) Discover-NOW database contains linked, deidentified records from General Practices (GPs), hospitals, and social care in NWL. Using this data, we examined health outcomes and healthcare utilisation of people in Brent who are not proficient in English.
resultsPrevalence of age-sex-adjusted cardiometabolic conditions was higher in groups that were not proficient in English or spoke a main language other than English. Primary and secondary healthcare utilisation was also higher in groups that were not proficient in English.
conclusionThis work is the first to quantify healthcare utilisation of those not proficient in English using a large, representative sample in a UK setting. It highlights poorer health outcomes in this group. There is a need to improve provision of language support, starting at registration, which would allow for this group to be better understood.
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