In both the Toronto Star (www.thestar.ca) and Globe and Mail
(www.globeandmail.ca) there were stories today about the growing gap in
income and increasing child poverty. There was little if any mention of
the health effects of such developments.
I am resending this message in the hope that some of you will respond
favourably.
Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 02:48:32 PDT
Subject: Action Needed...
To: [log in to unmask]
I met with the Toronto Star editorial board. Their response to my concern
about lack of coverage of the social determinants of health [social factors
affecting health] was:
!!! "You imply that we are not covering this story" !!!
We need to begin a gradual drumbeat so the media can pick up on this story
and realize that there is real interest in it among the public.
I suggest the following:
1. people gradually (how gradual?) begin to contact reporters. Here are
some e-mails and fax numbers. You may wish to graduate to phone calls to
the Star, the Globe, the evil National Post, and/or your local newspapers.
References are below. You can also refer to information you are aware of.
2. Our goal should be to get papers to carry as many stories about social
determinants as they do about lifestyle, genes, medical treatments, etc.
3. This will not be easy. The alternative is to see our society continue
to collapse around us.
Please forward this message wide and far...
Toronto Star fax: 869-4322
[log in to unmask] Editorial Board
[log in to unmask] "health reporter"
[log in to unmask] "medical reporter"
[log in to unmask] "provincial reporter"
[log in to unmask] "demographics reporter"
[log in to unmask] "economics editor"
The Globe and Mail fax: 416-585-5085
[log in to unmask] "public health reporter"
[log in to unmask] "health reporter"
[log in to unmask] "medical reporter"
[log in to unmask] "ethics and religion editor"
[log in to unmask] "economics reporter"
Metro Morning Vox Box: 416- 205-5807
Key References
Overviews of the Economic Inequality and Health Relationship
Daniels, N., Kennedy, B. & Kawachi, I. (2000). Justice is good for
our health: How greater economic equality would promote public health.
Boston Review, 25 (1), 4-21. On-line at
http://bostonreview.mit.edu/BR25.1/daniels.html.
Kawachi, I., Kennedy, B.P., & Wilkinson, R.G. (eds.) (1999). Income
inequality and health. New York: New Press. [set of 40 key readings in
the area].
International Health Program (2000). Health and income equity web
site. University of Washington and Health Alliance International. On-line
at http://depts.washington.edu/eqhlth.
Montague, P (1996). Economic inequality and health. Rachel's
Environment & Health Weekly #497. Annapolis, IN: Environmental Research
Foundation. On-line at http://www.rachel.org/bulletin/index.cfm?St=3
Montague, P. (1998). Major causes of ill health. Rachel's
Environment & Health Weekly #584. On-line at
http://www.rachel.org/bulletin/index.cfm?St=3
Wilkinson, R. G. (1996). Unhealthy societies: The afflictions of
inequality. NY: Routledge.
Wilkinson, R. G. & Marmot, M. (eds) (1998). Social determinants of health:
The solid facts. Copenhagen: World Health Organization. On-line at
http://www.who.dk/healthy-cities/.
British Overviews of Health Inequalities
Acheson, D. (1998). Independent Inquiry into inequalities in
health. Stationary Office: London: UK . On-line at http://
www.official-documents.co.uk/document/doh/ih/contents.htm.
Gordon, D., Shaw, M., Dorling, D. & Davey Smith, G. (eds). (1999).
Inequalities in health: The evidence presented to the independent inquiry
into inequalities. Bristol UK: The Policy Press. Available through
http://amazon.co.uk.
Shaw, M., Dorling, D., Gordon, D. & Davey Smith, G. (1999). The
widening gap: Health inequalities and policy in Britain. Bristol UK: The
Policy Press. Available through http://amazon.co.uk.
Townsend, P., Davidson, N., & Whitehead, M. (Eds) (1992).
Inequalities in health: the Black report and the Health divide. New York:
Penguin.
Canadian Overviews of Health Inequalities
Canadian Institute on Children's Health (1994). The health of
Canada's children: A CICH profile. Ottawa: Author.
Ross, D. P. & Roberts, P. (1999). Income and child well-being: A
new perspective on the poverty debate. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Social
Development. On-line at http://www.ccsd.ca/pubs/inckids/es.htm.
Townsend, M. (1998). Health and wealth. Ottawa: Canadian Centre
for Policy Alternatives. Available through http://www.policyalternatives.ca.
United States Overviews of Health Inequalities
Office of Minority Health, Minnesota (1997). Populations of color
in Minnesota: Health status report. Minneapolis: Minnesota Department of
Health.
US Department of Health and Human Services (1998). Health, United
States, 1998: Socioeconomic status and health chartbook. On-line at
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hus/2010/98chtbk.htm.
How Economic Inequality Affects Health
Bartley, M., Blane, D., & Montgomery, S. (1997). Health and the
life course: Why safety nets matter. British Medical Journal, 314,
1194-1196. On-line at http://www.bmj.com.
British Medical Journal (1996). Editorial: The big idea. British
Medical Journal, 312, 985. On-line at http://www.bmj.com.
Coburn, D. (2000). Income inequality, lowered social cohesion, and
the poorer health status of populations: the role of neo-liberalism.
Social Science and Medicine, 51, 135-146.
Glyn, A. & Millibrant, D. (1994). Paying for inequality: The
economic cost of social injustice. London UK: IPPR/Rivers Press.
Lynch, J. W., Davey Smith, G., Kaplan, G. A., & House, J. S.
(2000). Income inequality and mortality: importance to health of individual
income, psychosocial environment, or material conditions. British Medical
Journal, 320, 1200-1204.
Raphael, D. (in press). From increasing poverty to societal
disintegration: How economic inequality affects the health of individuals
and communities. In H. Armstrong, P. Armstrong, & D. Coburn (eds.), The
political economy of health and health care in Canada. Toronto: Oxford
University Press.
Raphael, D. (in press). Health effects of inequality. Canadian
Review of Social Policy.
Smith, G. D. (1996). Editorial: Income inequality and mortality:
Why are they related? British Medical Journal, 312, 987-988. On-line at
http://www.bmj.com.
Policy Studies
Auerbach, J. & Belous, R. (eds) (1998). The inequality paradox:
Growth of income disparity. Washington DC: National Policy Association.
Galbraith, J. (1998). Created unequal: The crisis in American pay.
NY: The Free Press.
Laxer, J. (1998). The undeclared war: Class conflict in the age of
cyber-capitalism. Toronto: Viking.
Muntaner, C. & Lynch, J. (1999). Income inequality, social
cohesion, and class relations: a critique of Wilkinson's neo-Durkheimian
research program. International Journal of Health Services, 29, 59-81.
Rainwater, L. & Smeeding, T. (1995). Doing poorly: the real income
of American children in a comparative perspective. Working Paper 127,
Luxembourg Income Study. On-line at
http://lissy.ceps.lu/wpapersentire.htm; then ftp://lissy.ceps.lu/127.pdf.
Wolff, E. N. (1995). Top heavy: The increasing inequality of wealth
in America and what can be done about it. New York: The New Press.
Yalnizyan, A. (1998). The growing gap: a report on growing
inequality between the rich and poor in Canada. Toronto: Centre for Social
Justice. Available through http://www.socialjustice.org.
Yalnizyan, A. (2000). Canada's great divide: The politics of the
growing gap between rich and poor in the 1990's. Toronto: Centre for Social
Justice. Available through http://www.socialjustice.org.
Health Sector Responses to Health Inequalities
Canadian Public Health Association (1996). Action statement on
health promotion. Ottawa: Author. On-line at
http://www.cpha/cpha.docs/ActionStatement.eng.html.
Health Canada (1998). Taking action on population health: a
position paper for Health Promotion and Programs Branch Staff. Ottawa:
Health Canada. On-line at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/main/hppb/phdd/resource.htm.
Minkler, M. (ed). (1997). Community organizing and community
building for health. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Orfield, M. (1997). Metropolitics: A regional agenda for community
and stability. Washington DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Pantazis, C. & Gordon, D. (eds.) (2000). Tackling inequalities:
Where are we now and what can be done? Bristol UK: Policy Press. Available
through http://amazon.co.uk.
Raphael, D. (in press). Health inequalities in Canada: Current
discourses and implications for public health action. Critical Public Health.
Raphael, D. (1998). Public health responses to health
inequalities. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 89, 380-381.
Raphael D., Steinmetz, B., & Renwick R (1999). The community
quality of life project: A health promotion approach to understanding
communities. Health Promotion International, 14, 197-210.
Visit our Web Site for information about our Seniors Participatory and
Community Quality of Life Projects! Free Reports Also.
http://www.utoronto.ca/qol http://www.utoronto.ca/seniors
********************************************************************
Long have I looked for the truth about the life of people together.
That life is crisscrossed, tangled, and difficult to understand.
I have worked hard to understand it and when I had done so
I told the truth as I found it.
- Bertolt Brecht
********************************************************************
Dennis Raphael, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health Sciences
Graduate Department of Community Health
University of Toronto
McMurrich Building, Room 101
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 1A8
voice: (416) 978-7567
fax: (416) 978-2087
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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