Canada NewsWire
 General News, Friday, May 3, 2002

 Ontario Government blind to links between health and
 poverty - Lives of Canadians at risk

 Canada NewsWire

 TORONTO - In a report released today, poverty is identified as a
 major cause of heart disease, throwing years of policy and
 research directions into question. "The lifestyle approach,
 especially physical activity and diet, to heart disease is largely
 disproved- such solutions are not only ineffective but may actually
 harm the health of Canadians," says the report's author, Dennis
 Raphael.

 Dr. Raphael's study, "Social Justice is Good for Our Hearts"
 reviewed over 100 studies on the causes of heart disease and
 found that much stronger evidence exists for socio-economic
 factors as explanations for heart disease than for lifestyle or genetic
 factors. The report is published by the CSJ Foundation for
 Research and Education.

 Says Dr. Raphael, "Twenty four percent of all premature heart
 disease deaths can be explained by income differences- this is
 more than any other factor. We found that there would be 6,366
 fewer deaths annually in Canada if all Canadians had the heart
 health of the wealthiest 20% of the population."

 Study after study established poverty and low income as the best
 predictor of the onset of heart illness. The primary solutions are to
 increase the minimum wage so that minimum wage earners do not
 live in poverty and to increase social assistance payments so that
 child poverty shrinks.

 Dr. Raphael's study reveals that Ontario Government policies are
 harmful to public health and wasteful to the public purse. "The Tory
 decision to spend $17 million on the Heart Health program is
 wasteful and a potential hazard to health. Ignoring the importance
 of poverty to heart disease is akin to poor bashing- telling the
 overstressed, under-housed, and excluded that an exercise
 program will solve their troubles is insensitive and dangerous. But it
 serves Tory purposes- downloading the troubles with larger
 systems has been their forte for the last 7 years," adds Dr.
 Raphael.

 Dr. Raphael states: "when the Ontario Government implements
 policies that deepen poverty, it ensures that many Ontarians go to
 their graves early." He calls for an immediate increase in the
 minimum wage and social assistance rates. "This is an opportunity
 for Premier Eves to break with the policies of Premier Harris that
 have done so much to harm the health of Ontarians," says Dr.
 Raphael.

 Full report available at www.socialjustice.org

 For further information: Media Contacts: Ann Curry-Stevens,
 Communications Coordinator, Centre for Social Justice, (416)
 998-9791 (cell); Dennis Raphael, PhD, Associate Professor,
 School of Health Policy and Management, York University, (416)
 736-2100, ext. 22134.

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