If the poverty threshold for a family of four was $19,307 and severe poverty
is defined as earning less than half of the poverty threshold, then an
individual within that threshold would have to live or rather survive with a
daily income of ~6 dollars. That is just three times the amount ($2) that
the UN uses to define poverty for the rest of the world, particularly
developing countries. Not much of a difference considering the cost of
living in the US compared to poorer nations.

I guess the income differential between the poor and those who define and
measure poverty and all its possible variations (light, moderate, extreme,
unbearable, outrageous, etc.) could be another topic to enquire about.


-----Original Message-----
From: Social Determinants of Health [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Dennis Raphael
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 5:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [SDOH] more on Prev Med article

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=50785

Rapid Increase In Severe Poverty In The US Has Serious Implications For
Public Health
Main Category: Public Health News
Article Date: 31 Aug 2006 - 20:00pm (PDT)

Since 2000, Americans have been getting poorer, and national rates of
severe poverty have climbed sharply, according to a study published in the
October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The
researchers reported that the growth in the poverty rate is due largely to
a rise in severe poverty and that "moderate" poverty has grown little.

The percentage of Americans living in severe poverty--earning less than
half of the poverty threshold--grew by 20% between 2000 and 2004, and the
proportion in higher income tiers fell. The researchers reported that the
number of Americans living in severe poverty increased by 3.6 million
between 2000 and 2004.

"These trends have disturbing implications for society and public health,"
said Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, Professor of Family Medicine, Epidemiology
and Community Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, and lead author of
the study. The researchers found that the only category of Americans to
increase in size were those whose earnings were at least $8,000 below the
poverty threshold, who grew by approximately 50% between 2000 and 2004. All
other income tiers decreased during these years. The poverty threshold in
2004 for a family of four was $19,307.

"The rise in severe poverty is striking children the hardest," said Woolf.
His study found that children under age 5 are twice as likely to be living
in severe poverty as the rest of the population. "In 2004, one of three
Americans with incomes less than 50% of the poverty threshold--5.6 million
people--was a child." Severe poverty is also dramatically worse among
African Americans and Hispanics, and minority children therefore face the
greatest risk. The researchers reported that children account for 45% of
Hispanic and African Americans living in severe poverty.

The authors discuss the broad societal implications of the increase in
poverty. Likely health consequences include a higher prevalence of chronic
illnesses, more frequent and severe disease complications, and increased
demands and costs for healthcare services. Adverse effects on children
carry long-term implications.

"This is not just a problem for the poor," Woolf added. "Except for a small
class of highly affluent Americans, income for the entire U.S. population
has fallen since 2000." The researchers describe a "sinkhole effect," in
which "families and individuals in the middle and upper classes appear to
be migrating to lower income tiers that bring them closer to the poverty
threshold." U.S. household income, adjusted for inflation, fell by 3.6%
between 2000 and 2004. Woolf says that the sinkhole effect and the upsurge
in poverty could deeply affect society and calls for the reexamination of
policies enacted in recent years to foster economic progress.

###

The article is "The Rising Prevalence of Severe Poverty in America: A
Growing Threat to Public Health" by Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, Robert E.
Johnson, PhD, and H. Jack Geiger, MD, M Sci Hyg. The article appears in the
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 31, Issue 4 (October 2006)
published by Elsevier.

The U.S. Census Bureau is expected to release income and poverty statistics
from the 2005 American Community Survey in August, 2006.

Contact: Charlotte Seidman
Elsevier Health Sciences

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