It's pretty lonely out here.

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Re; the Oct. 7 letter to the editor urging the bringing back of
ParticipAction as a means of improving the health of Torontonians:

Why is it so difficult for the public to understand that the the main
causes of disease are NOT lack of exercise or poor diet?

It has been known since the 1850's and reiterated in Health Canada
documents since 1974 and hundreds of research articles that the main
determinants of illness and disease are the economic and social conditions
under which people live.

Knowing this, we would expect your letter writer to make the connection
between the deteriorating economic and social indicators of Toronto written
about in the Star last Saturday with the health outcomes of people in
Toronto which your letter writer seems to be so concerned about. Instead we
get the usual "blame the victims"  whine about people not exercising.

When will Toronto and other public health units begin to start playing its
role in educating the public about the real causes of illness and disease?

Dennis Raphael, PhD
Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Director
School of Health Policy and Management
Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
tel: 416-736-2100, ext. 22134
fax: 416-736-5227
email: [log in to unmask]
website: http://quartz.atkinson.yorku.ca/QuickPlace/draphael/Main.nsf/

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