By Dr. Victoria Lee
Today, the Health Officers Council of BC (HOC) released an updated report on Health Inequities in BC. Analyses of life expectancy in British Columbia (BC) by income groups between the periods of 2002‐6 and 2006‐10 found a disturbing trend: the gap in life expectancy between Local Health Areas (LHAs) with the highest socio‐economic status (SES) and those with the lowest SES has widened dramatically. We know that poverty is bad for our health. People living in the lowest SES areas are more likely to suffer from health risks and complications of illness, while less likely to be able to access care.
We also know that tackling poverty head on can shift the trends that we’re observing in BC. BC is one of the two provinces in Canada that does not have a provincial poverty reduction plan in progress or development. We can start to reverse the trends by developing and implementing a provincial poverty reduction plan with critical milestones, indicators and evidence-based strategies.
Read the full HOC report ‘Health Inequities in BC 2013‘
Dr. Victoria Lee is the Co-chair of the Population Health Committee, Health Officers’ Council.