October 20, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/051020-1717.asp "Temporary poverty" may pose health risk Oct 20/05
by Karen Kelly (about) (email) Temporary changes in personal finances could have as much of a negative impact on your health as long-term poverty, says University of Toronto research. Previous research has suggested that economic deprivation brings with it a host of health risks such as inadequate nutrition, damp and unsanitary housing and social exclusion. However, poverty is not always a permanent state. In a new study published in the October issue of Social Science & Medicine, U of T researchers highlight the complex relationship between health and poverty over time. "We're so used to thinking of people falling into poverty and staying there, that we may be missing the health effects of what is actually a much more common experience – temporary income shortfalls," says Professor Peggy McDonough of the Department of Public Health Sciences Leading a team of international researchers, McDonough studied poverty and health data between 1968 and 1996 using data from the American Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Researchers found that although the majority of those surveyed repeatedly over this period were not poor, a full 30 per cent had histories of poverty. Only 11 per cent were poor for the entire period, while others saw their economic fortunes decline or improve. Not surprisingly, those with no history of poverty were the healthiest. However, even though those who were always poor were the least healthy, they were not alone – their health risk was shared by those who left or entered poverty over time, especially if they were older, less educated and white. McDonough stresses that there is no simple relationship between poverty history and health. "Poverty works in concert with other aspects of people’s lives such as age, education and race," she says. "Still, this study underscores that poverty is harmful to health, regardless of how long it is experienced." Contact: Professor Peggy McDonough, Department of Public Health Sciences, 416-946-7936; e-mail: peggy.mcdonough@utoronto.ca
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