Social Class: A Determinant Of Health In Canada

Social class: A Determinant of Health Twenty years ago Canada introduced the Canadian Health Act in an attempt to eliminate financial barriers to the access of adequate health care. The universal health care system is a publicly funded system that offers hospital and physician services at no cost to the patient at the point of service (Asada 1). The goal in offering equal access to health care to all citizens is to eliminate discrepancies in health outcomes between classes. However, despite a universal health care system in Canada, the quality of health care received by someone of a lower socioeconomic status is far less than someone of a higher socioeconomic status, and therefore health outcomes are much worse for those of a lower socioeconomic …show more content…
People in lower socioeconomic classes tend to live in poor neighbourhoods with substandard housing, have few or poor medical services close by, and have a lack of options for purchasing wholesome foods. Higher socioeconomic classes have the privilege of living in comfortable neighbourhoods with the ability to travel father to attain different medical services and wholesome foods (Isaacs 1138). People who cannot obtain wholesome foods are unable to have a sufficient diet in terms quality and quantity. Food insecurity creates a barrier to adequate nutritional intake and causes those of lower socioeconomic classes to consume fewer servings of fruits and vegetables, milk products, and vitamins. These dietary deficiencies are associated with the increased likelihood of chronic disease, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and food allergies (Mikkonen 26). There is also evidence that those of lower socioeconomic classes have higher rates of smoking, increased alcohol use and lack of exercise than those from upper socioeconomic classes. "Bad Habits Explain Class Differences in Health: Study" found that 30 percent of people in lower socioeconomic classes smoked, while only 10 percent smoked from the higher classes. A lack of exercise was also prevalent in lower classes, with 35 percent inactive compared to only 7 percent inactive from …show more content…
Discrimination can be defined as the differential treatment of certain people or groups based on their differences or membership to certain groups (Olah 263). They believe that the oppressive cycle that exists in everyday society, also exists within the health care system. This cycle starts with biased information which leads practitioners develop stereotypes. This then cycles into prejudice and discrimination causing oppression. Viewing patients negatively based on their class contributes to the lack of full access to competent and compassionate health care. It is important to note this cycle generally happens without the health care provider noticing or acknowledging it (McGibbon