A study examined the ways a group of people experiencing poverty, poor housing, and stress assessed the impact of these factors on their health through participating in a course called "Health Issues in the Community." It involved people from a range of socioeconomically excluded areas and groups throughout Scotland in identifying and investigating local concerns about health issues that affect them. The assumption underpinning the course was that social action in the health field is fundamental to control of our lives. At the end of the course, participants investigated and wrote about an important health issue in their community. One issue was poverty's impact in relation to women and families. Women took primary responsibility for child care and domestic labor and for their family's health; this inevitably led to stress. They put their own health last. Another issue was poverty's impact on housing and health. Many socioeconomically-excluded communities identified poor housing as a major health issue. Isolation was another factor that led to stress and depression for residents of high-rise flats, a common feature of socially excluded communities. Course participants demonstrated community development as one way to end the spiral of despair regarding poor housing and ill health. Contesting official definitions of health was a key issue in working with communities on their own health issues, with a number of implications. (Contains 23 references.) (YLB)