Health Inequities

HEALTH INEQUITIES are health differences that are:

• Systemic, meaning that health differences are patterned, where health generally improves as socioeconomic status improves;
• Socially produced, and therefore could be avoided by ensuring that all people have the social and economic conditions that are needed for good health and well-being; and
• Unfair and/or unjust because opportunities for health and well-being are limited.

MEASURES THAT MATTER

• 76% of low-income survey participants in Guelph-Wellington indicated they cannot afford regular oral health care
• 17-20% of repeat visits to Guelph General Hospital emergency department within 30 days are for mental health, and 23-34% are for substance use issues
• An estimated 1 in 3 Ontario workers don’t have health benefits