Rich-poor gap is making Canadians sick

The Toronto Star reports (July 15, 2012) that the top determinants of health in order are income status, education, social support networks, employment and working conditions, early childhood development, physical environment, personal health practices and coping skills and biological and genetic factors. Access to health care is ninth as a determinant of health. (See http://goo.gl/T5PDY).  

Income status tops the list for good reason: poor people die younger. For example, in the landmark Code Red project in Hamilton, researchers documented a 21-year difference in life expectancy between residents of lower and higher income neighbourhoods. Education is next: Code Red found that 662 of every 1,000 adults in a high income neighbourhood have a university degree while in the low income neighbourhoods, only seven of 1,000 adults completed university.