New Zealand's transformation into a lean and competitive economy could be at the cost of the health of Kiwis when they should be in the prime of their life.
The University of Canterbury's Geohealth Laboratory contributed to a landmark international study, published this week in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), that found the gap between rich and poor was one of the most powerful indicators of the health of young adults.
The study is based on mortality and income figures for New Zealand and 125 other countries, covering nearly 95 per cent of the world's population. The link between income inequality and poor health was found to be true in both rich and poor nations. The study authors concluded that social inequality seems to have a "universal negative impact" on health, particularly in the ages from 15 to 39.
"Humans are social animals and are not well constructed physiologically to survive in uncooperative surroundings – particularly in the prime of life," it said. "Income inequality is associated with higher mortality rates in all nations worldwide, not just affluent ones. Although the direct mechanisms that operate are likely to be different between different countries, there does not seem to be a beneficial impact on health anywhere."
Rodney Routledge, chairman of the Community Employment Initiatives Group in Christchurch, said the study's findings matched his own anecdotal observations from dealing with the city's poor and disadvantaged in the wake of the radical restructuring of New Zealand's economy in the 1980s. He found the gap between rich and poor was widening, and that had a clear impact on health and well-being. "One of the observations is that social isolation has become a major problem right across the board," he said. "Families need two incomes to get by, and people don't socialise with neighbours like they used to. Time with their family is cut back. "But for all this Government's faults, they've done a lot to increase access to primary healthcare for low-income people. They've tried to make it a preventative community focus."
He said access to healthcare despite income had significant benefits to the wellbeing of the poor and disadvantaged. Low unemployment levels hid the reality of the hidden unemployed, who do not feature on Government statistics.
