Does how much you earn impact how health you are? A new poll from the Canadian Medical Association reveals a worrisome gap in health status linked to one?s income.
CMA recently released poll results that were used to compile the 2012 National Report Card?(pdf) on the Canadian healthcare system. The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Reid, found that optimal health is directly aligned with how healthy your paycheck is.
?When ?it comes to the well-being of Canadians, the old saying that wealth equals health continues to ring true,? said CMA President, John Haggie, in a recent release.
The results showed that Canadians with lower incomes generally report poorer health than those with a high income level ? and held a negative view on their health status in comparison to their wealthy counterparts.?Canadians with lower incomes also use health services more frequently than wealthier individuals.
While 68 percent of those earning $60,000 a year or more described their health as very good or excellent, only 39 percent of those earning less than $30,000 a year said the same.
Just three years ago the CMA reported no difference between income levels and how frequently each group accessed health services ? but today, there is a significant gap in this area.
The report showed that 43 percent of those earning $60,000 or more accessed health services in the past month, while that number rose to 60 percent for those earning less than $30,000.
Haggie noted that, ?What is particularly worrisome for Canada?s doctors is that in a nation as prosperous as Canada, the gap between the ?haves? and ?have nots? appears to be widening.?
The economic downturn also appears to have an effect on health as 46 percent of those earning less than $30,000 reported they spend less time, money and energy sustaining their health since the economy has slowed. ?Only 19 percent of those with an income of $60,000 or more reported the same.
Some explanation for the gap can also be found in the poll results: 24 percent of those in the lower income bracket noted they had either stopped or delayed buying their prescription drugs, while just 3 percent of the higher income group reported the same.
It also found that tobacco use rose sharply based on income, with 33 percent of those in the lower income group reporting daily tobacco use, compared to just 10 percent in the wealthy group.
Education was also found to be a contributing factor to one?s health, as those with a high school diploma or less were found to spend almost twice as much as those with a university education on their health.
?We as Canadians tend to think we have a fair society and an equitable public health care system when in reality there are vast numbers of Canadians who are forced to do without when it comes to health care,? Haggie continued. ?That is why the physicians of Canada are pressing for the transformation of health and health care ? so that patient needs truly can be put first.?
Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved - ZoomerMedia Limited.
Source: http://www.50plus.com/money/poll-finds-income-levels-directly-affect-ones-health/181969/
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