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Public Perceptions of the Relationship between Poverty and Health

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Abstract

The public’s view on how poverty and health are related will influence support for different policies and programs. The purpose of this study was to examine public perceptions of the relationship between poverty and health and to identify demographic variables that predict support for the four explanations of the relationship between poverty and health (artifact, drift, behavioural, and structural) first identified in the Black Report in the United Kingdom. A telephone survey of a representative sample of Albertans (N=1,216) was conducted. The majority of respondents believed that poverty leads to poor health. The explanation that health is influenced by the context in which individuals live (structural) received the most support. Demographic variables (sex, age, education, occupation, income, residence, conservatism) explained less than 10% of the variance for each of the four explanations, with conservatism the most consistent predictor.

Résumé

l’opinion publique sur les liens qui existent entre la pauvreté et la santé influence le degré de soutien donné aux politiques et programmes gouvernementaux. Le but de cette étude était d’examiner les perceptions du public en ce qui a trait au lien entre la pauvreté et la santé et d’identifier les variables démographiques qui prédisent le soutien aux hypothèses proposées dans le rapport Black qui fut publié au Royaume-Uni. Un sondage téléphonique fut complété auprès d’un échantillon représentatif d’Albertains (N = 1 216). La majorité des répondants croient que la pauvreté conduit à une santé précaire. l’hypothèse selon laquelle la santé est influencée par le contexte dans lequel vivent les gens (hypothèse structurelle) a obtenu le plus grand soutien. Les variables démographiques (genre, age, éducation, occupation, revenu, résidence et conservatisme) expliquent moins de 10% de la variance pour chacune des quatres hypothèses. Le conservatisme est la variable prédicative la plus fidèle.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, 3rd Floor, Clinical Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G3, Canada

    Linda Reutter RN, PhD (Associate Professor), Anne Neufeld RN, PhD & Margaret J. Harrison RN, PhD (Professor)

Authors
  1. Linda Reutter RN, PhD
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  2. Anne Neufeld RN, PhD
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  3. Margaret J. Harrison RN, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda Reutter RN, PhD.

Additional information

This research was supported in part by the Faculty of Nursing Internal Allocation Fund, University of Alberta; the Population Research Laboratory, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta; and the Alberta Public Health Association.

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Reutter, L., Neufeld, A. & Harrison, M.J. Public Perceptions of the Relationship between Poverty and Health. Can J Public Health 90, 13–18 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404091

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