Canadians in lower income groups report poorer health than their wealthier counterparts, a poll for the Canadian Medical Association suggests.
The group's annual report card is being released today at its meeting in Yellowknife.
The gap in self-reported health status between income groups seems to be growing, with 39 per cent of those whose households earned less than $30,000 a year describing their health as excellent or very good compared with 68 per cent of those earning $60,000 or more.
"When it comes to the well-being of Canadians, the old saying that wealth equals health continues to ring true," Dr. John Haggie, president of the CMA, said in a release.
"What is particularly worrisome for Canada's doctors is that in a nation as prosperous as Canada, the gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' appears to be widening."
People in the lowest income bracket also reported accessing health-care services more often in the past month, 59 per cent, compared with 43 per cent among those earning the most income.
In 2009, there was no difference between lower and higher-income Canadians in whether they accessed health-care services within the past month.
Those with the lowest incomes were also more likely to report being diagnosed with a chronic condition, 41 per cent, than those with household incomes of $60,000 or more, 28 per cent.
Education also appeared to have an impact.
Canadians earning less than $30,000 a year and have less than a high school education were more likely to describe their health as fair or poor, 16 per cent, compared with those earning $60,000 or more, six per cent, and those with a university degree or higher, seven per cent.
The eating habits of Canadians earning $30,000 or less were more likely to be described as "OK" or "not very healthy," 33 per cent, than those earning the most, 23 per cent.
About half of those surveyed, 45 per cent, said there is too much to know about healthy eating.
In terms of eating habits, those earning the least were much less likely to say they ate five servings of fruits and vegetables every day or often, 50 per cent, compared with 66 per cent among those earning the most.
The same was true for physical activity levels and income: 52 per cent versus 57 per cent.
More than one in five Canadians, 22 per cent, said they'd delayed or cancelled a dentist appointment because of financial concerns.
Between July 25 and July 30, Ipsos Reid surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 Canadian adults by telephone. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The 2009 findings were based on an online survey of 3,223 Canadian adults by Ipsos between June 25 and July 11, 2009.
The CMA's annual meeting ends on Wednesday.
The group's annual report card is being released today at its meeting in Yellowknife.
The gap in self-reported health status between income groups seems to be growing, with 39 per cent of those whose households earned less than $30,000 a year describing their health as excellent or very good compared with 68 per cent of those earning $60,000 or more.
"When it comes to the well-being of Canadians, the old saying that wealth equals health continues to ring true," Dr. John Haggie, president of the CMA, said in a release.
"What is particularly worrisome for Canada's doctors is that in a nation as prosperous as Canada, the gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' appears to be widening."
People in the lowest income bracket also reported accessing health-care services more often in the past month, 59 per cent, compared with 43 per cent among those earning the most income.
In 2009, there was no difference between lower and higher-income Canadians in whether they accessed health-care services within the past month.
Those with the lowest incomes were also more likely to report being diagnosed with a chronic condition, 41 per cent, than those with household incomes of $60,000 or more, 28 per cent.
Education also appeared to have an impact.
Canadians earning less than $30,000 a year and have less than a high school education were more likely to describe their health as fair or poor, 16 per cent, compared with those earning $60,000 or more, six per cent, and those with a university degree or higher, seven per cent.
The eating habits of Canadians earning $30,000 or less were more likely to be described as "OK" or "not very healthy," 33 per cent, than those earning the most, 23 per cent.
About half of those surveyed, 45 per cent, said there is too much to know about healthy eating.
In terms of eating habits, those earning the least were much less likely to say they ate five servings of fruits and vegetables every day or often, 50 per cent, compared with 66 per cent among those earning the most.
The same was true for physical activity levels and income: 52 per cent versus 57 per cent.
More than one in five Canadians, 22 per cent, said they'd delayed or cancelled a dentist appointment because of financial concerns.
Between July 25 and July 30, Ipsos Reid surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,200 Canadian adults by telephone. The margin of error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The 2009 findings were based on an online survey of 3,223 Canadian adults by Ipsos between June 25 and July 11, 2009.
The CMA's annual meeting ends on Wednesday.
in terms of socialized medicine vs the american system, canada consistently does better in terms of efficacy, errors, childhood mortality rates, and spending.
And I never mentioned anything about the US. You'll find I agree with you there.
As tnganon says, there is a range of competency just like any other country. Problems are compounded by a doctor shortage that was created by the health ministers some decades ago when they cut funding for medical school places (demographic comprehension fail on the part of politicians). Medical schools are still suffering from that decision though some attempts have been made to restore funding.
The resulting doctor shortage is severe in some communities (for instance, my mother's) where you can't change doctors once you have one (because there is an ever lengthening waiting list of people who don't have doctors at all). In my community (considerably larger) there are always doctors taking patients but a large percentage of them have room in their practice because, to use the non-technical term, they suck at patient care for various reasons. It is rare to find a good GP who is taking patients and their practices fill up quickly. The rest of us use walk-in clinics.
This means that if your doctor, for whatever reason, lacks competency to treat you (for instance not liking a certain population--retirees, diabetics, chronic pain sufferers, etc.), you can have difficulty getting good treatment at the GP level (the specialists, on the other hand, are quite good once you get to them).
On the other hand, though, I still admire Canada's care - it still remains one of the best and affordable. My uncle got all that he needed when he grew bedridden - his medication and access to a specialist, an aide, bed, and other essential equipment - almost all for free (or at least at an affordable cost - I'm not too sure again) under the healthcare system, and for that, I'm really grateful. In the US, these things could bankrupt you without the right insurance, and on top of having to deal with the stress of a very sick family member, the costs often put people over the edge. The fact that Canada can do this for people and at a lower cost per person means that they've got something down that the US could really learn from.
Anyways, I'm really glad your mom got the MRI in the end :).