Poverty is making Canadians sick, says a report by the Canadian Medical Association. About half of all health-care outcomes are linked to “social determinants” such as income, housing, education, disability, gender and race. In comparison, a quarter of health outcomes can be attributed to the health-care system, which includes access to health care and wait times. Only 15 per cent of outcomes are linked to biology and genetics and 10 per cent to the environmental factors such as air quality.
Factors such as poor housing, lack of access to healthy food and early childhood programs all affect health. Malnourished people become ill. People who can only afford junk food or don’t have access to healthy food because there isn’t a supermarket nearby can develop diabetes. People who live in mouldy, substandard housing can get asthma medications, but it won’t make the asthma go away. Social isolation has mental health consequences, including increased suicide rates.
Factors such as poor housing, lack of access to healthy food and early childhood programs all affect health. Malnourished people become ill. People who can only afford junk food or don’t have access to healthy food because there isn’t a supermarket nearby can develop diabetes. People who live in mouldy, substandard housing can get asthma medications, but it won’t make the asthma go away. Social isolation has mental health consequences, including increased suicide rates.
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