Health & Low Income

There is a clear difference in the health of low-income populations and higher-income groups. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004 performed a study that sought to measure the basic health problems of food stamp recipients versus higher-income groups. From 1988 to 2004, these populations were studied in terms of diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as teen pregnancy and newborn birth weight.

Features

• High blood pressure is the main disease of poorer populations. About 30 percent of low-income people report having hypertension, as opposed to 18 percent of higher-income people. Roughly 22 percent of the general population reports high blood pressure as a regular health problem. Coronary heart disease, however, is not a greater risk among the poorer populations, but diabetes was reported as slightly higher.

Pregnancy

• While not health problems per se, pregnancy, live births and low birth weight babies have higher rates among poorer populations, they reported. About 93 percent of poorer women ages 17 and over have been pregnant, versus 78 percent of higher-income women. Teen pregnancy occurs about 59 percent of the time with lower-income women, but only 35 percent of the time with higher-income women. About 31 percent of poorer mothers smoked during pregnancy, versus 21 percent of higher-income women.

Babies

• Lower-income women have low birth weight babies at a rate of 2.5 times higher than higher-income women. Low birth weight is considered any baby born under 5.5 pounds. Children and infants requiring hospitalization are higher among food stamp recipients than higher-income people. Infants have health problems that require hospitalization about 14 percent of the time for the low income, eight percent of the time for higher-income families. For children between three to five years, the rates are 26 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Significance

• It is clear that income is a highly significant factor in health, especially for children. Diet, access to health care and general levels of education are all factors in understanding these issues. Cheap food is often less healthy and more laden with artificial preservatives.

Effects

• Health care costs are higher for the lower income, who also have less access to health care. Consequently, hospitals often have to swallow the costs, passing them on to the insured. Problems with neonatal care and the relatively poor health of children set the stage for later problems.