Alright, so rich people live longer and poor people die earlier. There are many studies that confirm this, but have you ever thought why this could be? Well, many thoughts come to mind. Maybe because people from a lower socio-economic status have less access to good affordable health care. Maybe because poorer people live in neighborhoods with higher risks of physical and environmental hazards. Well, one conclusion was that poorer people just participated in riskier behaviors attributing to their own earlier mortality.
Well, a study was done on this and actually found that lower socio-economic status groups do participate in risky health activities defined as smoking, excessive alcohol use, a sedentary life style, and overall weight adnormalities more frequently than richer counterparts. However, these activities only counted for 17% of the differential in deaths of lower socio-economic status groups. So what conts for the other 83%. Well, the study I found said that socioeconomic stratification itself may be a social force that has deleterious health effects for those in lower strata. There is also increased exposure to a range of psychosocial variables that increase mortality and morbidity suchs a lack of social supports, personality dispositions( such as a lost sense of mastery, optimism, sense of control, and self-esteem) and chronic and acute stress from life or work.
It's amazing how our actual position in society could affect our age of death and quality of life more than our actual behavioral choices. Or at least by what this study found. I think that not having access to proper nutrional and health service really hurt the lower classes in our society.
source: Socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and mortality: Lantz et. al.
In the end, it boils down to the fact that the "lower" classes can't afford the health care and medications that they need in order to reach a greater life expectancy. Even minor ailments can get out of control without proper medical care... and proper medical care is something the "lower class" continually goes without.
"We don't receive wisdom; we must discover it for ourselves after a journey that no one can take for us or spare us." -Marcel Proust
And that's why I'm going to be rich ^_^
C*
well, u may not be rich, but u can live comfortabally and make sure u always have health insurance. and if ur a colored person, be forewarned, i read an article once that a colored woman was about to have a baby, and a doctor thought she was on welfare, so they didnt treat her first because they thought she was poor because she was black. people can be misleading. health insurance is the biggest issue as to why people die sooner, also, education, i watch so many people on food stamps buy crappy food because its cheaper than buying good nutritious food. if u do things right, u can stay healthy, even if your poor. u just got to do it right, thats all.
"There's No Gender in Sports, Just Players"