Study Links Poverty and Poor Health

Toronto's Medical Officer of Health says there is a clear link between low income and poor health.

Listen to Lori Paris' Report.

The study, which is being presented to the Board of Health, is the first of it's kind in Toronto, although similar studies have been done elsewhere.

The study looks at how a person's income is linked to their health, and Toronto's Medical Officer of Health, Dr David McKeown, says there is a clear link between income and health, saying people in lower income brackets had more risk factors for illness, higher rates of disease and died at an earlier age.

McKeown says the study also showed that people with lower incomes tended to have unhealthy diets, smoked more and had poorer access to health services then those in middle to high income.