Recession Affecting Health of Canadians
Wellbeing Concerns a Majority in Economic Downturn
Aug 17, 2009
More than half (57 percent) of the people polled in a summer 2009 survey are worried about their financial health, and an almost equal number (52 percent) are concerned about their physical health. The two issues are causing some people to take risks with their health in order to save money. Fourteen percent of Canadians say they have delayed or halted buying prescription drugs because they can’t afford them. Another 22 percent have stopped playing sports or exercising for the same reason.
These are the highlights of Canadian Medical Association’s 9th Annual National Report Card on Health Care.
Canadians Skipping Healthy Behaviour to Save Money
In releasing the report on August 17, 2009 CMA President, Dr. Robert Ouellet said, “This year, the CMA’s report card shows that these tough economic times could…be a serious health hazard for Canadians.”
The CMA says the survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid found:
- “Two-in-five Canadians (40 percent) say they felt stressed and/or overwhelmed due to financial concerns. That number rises to half (51 percent) among those who earn less than $30,000;
- “Nationally, one quarter (25 percent) of Canadians have delayed or cancelled a dentist appointment as a result of financial concerns. This figure jumps to one in three (34 percent) among Canadians who earn less than $30,000;
- “Nationally, nearly one in five Canadians has skipped meals as a result of financial concerns. This proportion nearly doubles among the lowest income bracket (28 percent); and,
- “One-quarter of Canadians (23 percent) says they are losing sleep over economic worries. That figure rises to one in three (33 percent) among those with less than a university degree.
Survey on Views of Health Care System
An earlier poll was carried out to uncover how Canadians perceive their health care system.
Reporting on this poll in The Globe and Mail (August 17, 2009) André Picard writes that “Twenty-six percent of respondents gave ‘overall care’ a grade of A, while 41 percent accorded it a B, 26 percent a C and 7 percent a failing F grade.
“Residents of Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. gave the highest number of A grades, while those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan doled out the fewest As.”
The CMA says these results show an improvement over the previous year’s survey. The federal government was given an A or B grade by 39 percent of Canadians, which is up from 34 percent in 2008. Provincial governments also rated a little better in their handling of the health care files in 2009 compared with 2008.
Canadians Rate their Personal Health
According to the CMA “Just over four in ten (41 percent) Canadians rate their health as either excellent (10 percent) or very good (31 percent). An additional four in 10 (38 percent) say their health is good, while one in five (20 percent) rate their health as either fair (16 percent) or poor (four percent).”
More than half of those polled (56 percent) say they are either very or somewhat overweight.
Commenting on these results, Dr. Ouellet said, “The significant numbers of Canadians identifying themselves as being in either fair or poor health show that we are not doing enough as a nation to keep our population healthy.
“Even more worrisome is the fact that the poll’s finding that a majority of Canadians are overweight. We know that overweight and obese individuals significantly increase their chances of having serious health issues as they age.”
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