Thank you for this.  I will add it to a presentation I am giving Thursday and
Friday.  You may wish to update your poverty figures by going to the
"Canadian Council on Social Development"  www site which has a great set of
1996 poverty figures (65% of female-headed households live in poverty, for
example).

Dennis

On Tue, 26 Jan 1999 19:54:39 -0500 Isabel Simard wrote:

> From: Isabel Simard <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Indeed, childhood poverty is common in Canada: in 1987   1,114,000
> children under 16 years of age lived below the poverty line. The
> incidence is highest among children of single mothers, unemployed
> parents, Canadian native peoples and recent immigrants, particularly
> refugees. Compared with the national average, the infant mortality rate
> is twice as high, deaths from infectious diseases are 2.5 times more
> common, and accidental deaths are twice as common among children of
> low-income families. Other problems associated with poverty are iron
> deficiency anemia, dental caries, chronic ear infections, mental
> retardation, learning disabilities, poor physical and mental health
> associated with poverty in children by promoting a broad range of public
> policies.
>
> These numbers come from The Canadian Medical Association Journal,1987.
> Sep 15;137(6):485-90.
>
> I've been looking for Canadian statistics about infections among young
> children related to low-income, and presently it is hard to find. We
> want to study the decision and duration of breastfeeding among
> low-income women in the province in Quebec. We know that breastfeeding
> can reduce respiratory and gastrointestinal infections and also otitis
> and can permit to decrease the additional costs associated to health.
> Otitis can cost up to 660 millions $ per year in the United States.
>
> It is now important to prove that infections and diseases appear more
> often in low-income families children. The results of the study will
> help us find a strategy to enhance breastfeeding amon low-income
> families. It will also help improve child health among poor families.
>
>
> Isabel Simard
> Université Laval
> Département des sciences des aliments et de nutrition
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Visit our Web Site for an Overview of ALL of our Quality of Life Projects!
http://www.utoronto.ca/qol

  ******************************************************************
 All children belong to society.
 But obviously society will have to be changed
   in order to make it treat its children better.

       -Halldor Laxness  "The Atom Station"
  ******************************************************************

Dennis Raphael, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Associate Director,
Masters of Health Science Program in Health Promotion
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]