Poverty's Impact on Health in Canada

In Canada, 1 in 7 people suffer from poverty, this is translated to about 4.8 million people (Just the Facts, 2015). When living in poverty, people are faced with hardships that make it challenging for them to live a proper, healthy life. Living in poverty does correlate with the fact that these families will suffer from a low income. Families that have a low income are more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health because they are unable to support themselves when it comes to nutrition and cleanly living conditions. Fresh, nutritious, organic foods typically cost much more than freezer and fast foods, charities that help these families do not provide enough fresh foods to maintain a healthy diet, unsanitary living conditions

Studies do show that low income can lead to poor mental health as well. People with low income will typically suffer from stress, depression, low self-esteem or stigma (Sieppert, 2004). Families that live in poverty are often geared away from getting an education, or secure employment (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). These families lack the health care that they need, health care does not necessarily need to be when you get injured, but mental health. Although, some may disagree, people with mental illnesses need just as much help. Families in poverty experience economic hardships, these could be things like losing a job, a house, or education (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). These are essential needs that everyone needs to be entitled to, to be able to live a healthy life. Losing these kinds of essentials will absolutely cause stress, which can sometime follow up with anxiety and depression (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). According to statistic, 1 in 5 people in Ontario will suffer from a mental illness, and 35% of those people are living on social support from the government (Poverty and Mental Illness, 2007). This stress could also come from how expensive basic living conditions are in