This is a guest post article from Shey Smith.
In today’s society, health has become a central issue; good health practices prolong life expectancy and greatly improve one’s quality of life. Poor health practices, on the other hand, can be linked to a myriad of diseases and a decrease in life expectancy. Naturally, good health is very important in any society.
Access to Healthcare
Access to healthcare is one of the primary indicators of health in every country. Even here in Canada, with our universal healthcare system, access to healthcare remains tied to socio-economic status and as one’s economic status increases so does their health status. Keep in mind, it is widely accepted that low-income and low-education are linked to low socio-economic class.
Low-income jobs rarely provide comprehensive health insurance and many must depend on social assistance to afford prescription drugs. High-income persons on the other hand, are able to afford medications or have good employer health insurance. Consequently, without an proper insurance plan, cancer patients experience poorer outcomes while do not receive proper dental care which puts them at risk for periodontitis. Developing periodontitis increases one’s chance of developing a number of diseases and conditions including coronary artery disease, heart disease, and stroke.
In addition to unaffordable medications, the poor have limited opportunities to seek medical attention. A study on breast and cervical cancer argues that underclass women are less likely to receive screening tests, possibly because they do not have enough time, or may not have adequate transportation to get to appointments.
Lifestyle
The connection between health and socio-economic status is even more evident when examining the increased risk of heart disease and other adverse health conditions of the poor due to behaviors and lifestyle.
Low income earners experience high stress levels due to low socio-economic conditions which often contributes to unhealthy habits such as smoking and infrequent exercise. Smoking is one of the most noticeable habitual differences between the upper and lower socio-economic classes. Another example of how class differences in lifestyle affect health can be realized through the differences in the amounts of physical activity or exercise. People of a lower social class are less likely to exercise regularly. This disparity may be attributed to a number of reasons: fear of crime may hinder outdoor activities, lack of leisure time, or lack of employers positively enforcing exercise.
Diet 
A healthy body depends largely on eating a healthy, balanced diet; studies have shown that poverty overwhelmingly results in the financial inability to meet daily nutritional needs. Because people in a low socio-economic class less able to buy healthy food, they are lacking many vitamins and other nutrients provided by a balanced diet.
What can be done?
Firstly, in order to begin rectifying this disadvantage, our society must find ways to erase the barriers to access to healthcare. Like putting more clinics and hospitals in impoverished neighborhoods and working with employers to allow more sick days and provide better health plans for the working poor. Access to healthcare in remote locations can also be increased through permanent doctor/dentist residency or increased doctor travel to these areas.
Secondly, the lower socio-economic class must have enriched government/charity aided social programs to stimulate exercise through sports, entertainment, or other means. These must also include informational programs on the health risks of smoking and the importance of exercise; as education is linked to improved health status, this only makes sense.
Facilitating a better diet for the poor is the third challenge and a much more difficult one due to economic and personal factors. The problem at hand is that the poor not only have financial troubles purchasing healthy food; forcing alternative food sources (such as food banks) to serve fresh, natural food will be extremely costly. Information packages need to be produced that specifically reveal healthy low-cost food items to those of a lower socio-economic class.
Hopefully, further action can be taken to assist the disadvantaged poor of our society. This will not only benefit those families, but also uplift society as a whole through increased citizen contribution, international recognition, and uplifted morale.
Shey is a talented desktop publisher and freelance web/graphic designer. He writes about his thoughts on social media, technology, design and culture at Introspective Snapshots. You can find his web/graphic design shop at SweetSop Design.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello i am conducting research on the topic of diseases in relation to socioeconomic class and i am curious of where you found your information? what are your sources?
Hey I am doing a project on socio-economic status and how they relate to cardiovascular health. I would like to know where you researched your information?
I agree that basic health care is a need that is not often met by the poor (lower income groups). But they are not only disadvantaged in this way; in the United States the lower income groups do not easily have access to telecommunications and in the express consideration of heath and safety it is a major concern that Americans cannot call 911 in an emergency. I came accross the Sullivan Report with gives statistics of this very problem and a relief in the form of pre paid cell phones. http://www.newmillenniumresearch.org/archive/Sullivan_Report_032608.pdf
TracFone is involved in solutions to this very problem and seams to be providing desperate Americans with a subsidized cell phone to alleviate this urgent need. I mean what good is it to have health support if people cannot call for help in time to receive the benefits.
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