Art courtesy of scienceblogs.com
Why does poverty matter to me?
I still get that question, even after writing several blog posts talking about why poverty is a problem in a community (click here, here or here) and has an impact on us regardless of our income level.
Now, guess what? People die because of poverty. The New York Times recently ran an article that summarized a recent study printed in the American Journal of Public Health. According to the new study, in 2000, 245,000 deaths were attributable to low education; 176,000 to racial segregation,162,000 to low social support; 133,000 to individual-level poverty; 119,000 to income inequality and 39,000 to area-level poverty.
It has long been known that poverty is related to being able to go to the doctor to be screened for things like diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS. Even if you are diagnosed with an illness, you may not be able to afford the care you need. Poverty creates stress that taxes the body and it can result in unhealthy behaviors.
Dr. Galea, the study’s author, is quoted in the New York Times article as saying, “If you say that 193,000 deaths are due to heart attacks then, heart attack matters. If you say 300,000 deaths are due to obesity, then obesity matters.”
Well guess what, poverty matters, because 133,000 people are dying because of it.
2011 statistics from a recent study by Dr. Dhiren Patel states the following:
Poverty increases the likelihood of depression especially in children. During any given year, depressive disorders affect more than 19 million American adults. This includes major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder. Pre-schoolers represent the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers—more than one million—are clinically depressed. The rate of increase of depression among children is 23%.
An estimated 30% of women are depressed and of this group 41% are too embarrassed to seek help.
80% of depressed people are not currently receiving any treatment and of this group 15% commit suicide. By 2020, depression will be the second largest killer after heart disease. Studies indicate that depression is a contributing factor to fatal coronary disease.
Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse. These are the folks that tend to self medicate and resort to other such unhealthy behaviors.
Does poverty matter? You bet it does!