HEALTH OF POOR AUSTRALIANS WORSENING
Smoking, lack of exercise and obesity are increasing among
Australia's poor, according to a study by the University of
Queensland.
Lead author Jake Najman analyzed data from National Health
Surveys in 1989, 1995 and 2001 and found men living in the
poorest neighborhoods were about twice as likely to smoke as men
from wealthier areas. Two-thirds of men and three-quarters of
women reporting sedentary or low levels of physical activity,
the study found.
"These inequalities in lifestyle have been increasing,
suggesting the health of the poor will not improve to the same
extent as the health of the more affluent," Najman said in a
statement.
