The new study underscores the potentially deadly impact of poverty, said Dr. Albert Wu, an internist and professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“These results are heartbreaking,” Wu said. “This is one more study showing where you live determines how long you live. Geography is destiny and poverty the dominant force in determining death rates from major illnesses, including one of the most devastating – heart failure.”
The study also highlighted a dose-response to poverty, meaning the poorer you are, the more at risk you are, Wu said. “There are many places where people simply do not have access to healthy food or safe places to walk or exercise,” he added. “I think this paper should make us take a harder look at what we can do to make it easier for people to maintain a healthy lifestyle and also address the root cause, that is poverty in our communities.”
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