Your Health And Where You Live


A new report released this week by the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative finds that where you live could make a difference on how long you live. The report titled, "Health Inequities in the Bay Area", was released to coincide with the PBS series,

"Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?" which explores the relationship between class, race and health outcomes. Although nearly half of all medical care dollars in the world are spent in the United States, the country ranks at the bottom of developed nations when it comes to the quality and availability of health care. Those who are a part of the underclass receive less quality care and suffer from higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease. The series documents the complex nexus of high stress, lack of quality food and health care in low income areas and a greater likelihood of exposure to environmental toxins as some of the reasons for the disparity in health outcomes. Experts say the solutions for health inequality cannot be based solely on increased health care access, but require social and economic justice as well.

With: Sarah Varney.





Airdate: 4/11/08

Additional Resources
Report: Health Inequities in the Bay Area


Unnatural Causes
PBS Documentary Website For Online Articles, Books And Reports

Film Shows Poor Have Unhealthier, Shorter Lives
Suzanne Bohan, Inside Bay Area

Dying of shameful 'Unnatural Causes'
David Hinckley, New York Daily News

PBS Documentary Examines Health Disparities
Chuck Barney, Bay Area News Group




 



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