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The link between poverty and GIDs is well documented. Both infectious and non-infectious GIDs are more likely to occur in poor populations than relatively wealthier ones. Lack of access to clean drinking water is probably the most obvious contributing factor. When this is combined with poor nutrition, tobacco and alcohol use, crowded living conditions and poor sanitation, there is increased exposure to both toxins and infectious agents. This in turn leads to greater risk of contracting diarrhoeal and parasitic diseases, and vulnerability to their consequences.