People with higher incomes tend to enjoy better health and access to better health care. People with lower incomes tend to have shorter lives and more health problems. Unfortunately, the rate of poverty in Canada is increasing, and more women than men are poor.
Income affects every aspect of our lives, from where we live to what we eat, from what we wear to how we get where we are going. Lack of income means doing everything the hard way: hauling groceries or laundry on the bus, using pay phones instead of having a phone at home, reading newspapers at the library. Health hazards for people with low incomes include:
- Poor housing, with mould, poor air quality, inadequate heat or hot water etc.
- Inadequate clothing for cold weather.
- Restricted access to supermarkets or sources of nutritious, cheap food such as fresh fruits or vegetables or fresh milk.
- Restricted access to non-insured health care such as medications.
- Restricted access to communication (such as phone or Internet).
- Restricted access to education leading to low health literacy, fewer job prospects, etc.
- Social isolation.
- Few resources with which to handle crises, e.g. time, knowledge, access to professionals etc.
Increased levels of stress due to less leisure time and greater financial pressures.