Poverty makes you sick and reduces life expectancy

Poverty makes you sick and reduces your life expectancy

03/14/2014

Poverty not only leads to social disadvantage, but also has a significant impact on health and life expectancy, according to one of the key messages at the current 18th Congress on Poverty and Health at the Technical University (TU) Berlin. At the press conference in the run-up to the congress, experts such as dr. Thomas Lampert from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Professor Rolf Rosenbrock (Chairman of the Board of Health Berlin-Brandenburg e.V.), Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks (Senator for Health and Consumer Protection Hamburg) and Jürgen Graalmann (Chairman of the AOK Federal Association) on the links between poverty and health risks.

„Every seventh child under the age of 15 lives from the basic security according to SGB II (Hartz IV)“, which currently stands at 255 euros, says the press release on the occasion of the congress. In 2012, approximately 1.6 million children and adolescents were affected. „Their health is often worse than that of their peers“, the experts continue to report. At the congress, stakeholders from science, politics, practice and civil society want to discuss the health effects of poverty together and develop appropriate solution strategies. It is clear that socially disadvantaged people have a higher risk of illness and a lower life expectancy. Among the children, especially those from large families or households of single parents in Germany were affected by poverty. „Every eleventh child in poverty experiences everyday deprivations such as lack of regular recreational activities and no daily hot meal“, As stated in the press release on the 18th Congress on Poverty and Health.

Based on data from the so-called Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), Drs. Thomas Lampert and colleagues from the RKI uncovered the statistical relationships between income and mortality risk and life expectancy. This resulted, „that women and men whose incomes are below the risk-of-poverty threshold are 2.4- and 2.7-fold, respectively, higher mortality risk than the highest income group“ respectively. For example, only 84 percent of women living in relative poverty reach the age of 65, while 93 percent of relatively wealthy women reach that age limit. Among poor men, only 69 percent are 65 years old, while 87 percent of high-income men are older than 65, reports the RKI. As income increases, the chance of reaching the age of 65 increases gradually.

On the basis of the average life expectancy at birth, the impact of income on health is even more pronounced, write the experts of the RKI. Here the difference between the lowest and highest income groups was 8.4 years for women and 10.8 years for men. „Considering only the healthy life expectancy, d. H. the years of life spent in very good or good general health, the difference between the lowest and highest income group makes even 13.3 years for women and 14.3 years for men“, the RKI continues to report. Professor Rosenbrock, Chairman of the Joint General Association and Chairman of Health Berlin-Brandenburg, stressed that the facts convey urgent need for action. With regard to possible disadvantages for children living in poverty, Rosenbrock said: „We need more healthy and affordable lunches in schools, daycare facilities nationwide, family midwives who reach parents early, and low-threshold health promotion opportunities.“

The Director of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), Prof. Dr. med. Elisabeth Pott, made it clear that she rates the municipalities as a decisive level of action in the fight against the health consequences of poverty. With the partner process „Growing up healthy for everyone!“, Based on agreed nationwide recommendations for action, the exchange between the municipalities for the prevention and health promotion of the socially disadvantaged should be promoted. The initiative also shows ways in which existing structures can be better utilized in the future in order to better absorb socially disadvantaged children. (Fp)