Ten Things to Know about Health

1. Health is more than health care. Doctorstreat us when we’re ill, but

what makes ushealthy or sick in the first place? Research shows that social

conditions - thejobs we do, the money we’re paid, the schools we attend,

the neighborhoodswe live in - are as important to our health as our genes,

behaviors and evenmedical care.

2. Health is tiedto the distribution of resources.The single strongest

predictor of ourhealth is our position on the class ladder. Whether measured

by income,schooling or occupation, those at the top have the most power and

resources, and onaverage live longer and healthier lives. Those at the bottom

are mostdisempowered and get sicker and die younger. Everyone else falls

somewhere inbetween. On average, people in the middle are twice as likely to

die an early deathcompared to those at the top; those on the bottom are four

times as likely.Even among people who smoke, poor smokers have a greater risk

of premature deaththan rich smokers.

3. Racism imposesan added health burden. Past andpresent

discrimination inhousing, jobs, and education means that today, people of

color are morelikely to be lower on the class ladder. But even at the same rung,

African Americanstypically have worse health and die sooner than their white

counterparts. Inmany cases, so do other populations of color. Segregation,

social exclusion,encounters with prejudice, the degree of hope and optimism

people have,differential access and treatment by the health care system – all of

these can impacthealth.

4. The choices wemake are shaped by the choices we have. Making

healthy choicesisn’t just about self-discipline. Some neighborhoods have easy

access to fresh,affordable produce; others have only fast food joints, liquor

outlets andconvenience stores. Some have nice homes, clean parks, safe places

to walk, jog, bikeor play, and well-financed schools offering gym, art, music

and after-schoolprograms, while others don’t. What public policies and business

practices can betterensure healthy spaces and places for everyone?

5. High demand +low control = chronic stress. It’snot CEOs who are

dying of heartattacks, it’s their subordinates. People at the top certainly face

pressure but theyare more likely to have power and resources to manage those

pressures. Thelower in the pecking order we are, the greater our exposure to

forces that canupset our lives – insecure and low-paying jobs, uncontrolled

debt, unreliabletransportation, poor childcare, no healthcare, noisy and violent

living conditions –and the less access we have to the money, power, knowledge,

and socialconnections that help us cope and gain control over those forces.

6. Chronic stresscan be deadly. Exposure tofear and uncertainty trigger

a stress response.Our bodies go on alert: the heart beats faster, blood pressure

rises, glucosefloods the bloodstream – all so we can hit harder or run faster

until the threatpasses. But when threats are constant and unrelenting, our

physiologicalsystems don’t return to normal. Like gunning a car, this constant

state of arousal,even if low-level, wears down our immune systems over time,

increasing our riskfor disease and death.

7. Inequality –economic and political – is bad for our health. The

United States hasby far the most inequality in the industrialized world –

and the worsthealth. The top one percent now owns more wealth than the

bottom 90 percentcombined. Tax breaks for the rich, deregulation, the

decline of unions,racism and segregation, outsourcing and globalization, as

well as cuts insocial programs destabilize communities and channel wealth,

power and health tothe few at the expense of the many. Economic

inequality in theU.S. is now greater than at any time since the 1920s.

8. Social policy ishealth policy. Average lifeexpectancy in the U.S. improved

by 30 years duringthe 20th century. Researchers attribute much of that increase

to social reforms –for example, improved wage and work standards, universal

schooling, andcivil rights laws. Social measures like a living wage, paid sick and

family leave,guaranteed vacations, universal preschool and access to college,

and guaranteedhealth care can further extend our lives by improving them.

9. Healthinequalities are not natural. Healthdisparities that arise from

our racial andclass inequities result from decisions we as a society have made –

and can makedifferently. Other industrialized nations differ in two important

ways: they makesure absolute inequality is less (e.g., Sweden’s child poverty rate

is 4 percent,compared to our 21 percent), and they guarantee that everyone has

a chance forprosperity and good health regardless of a family’s personal resources

(e.g., good schoolsand health care are available to everyone, not just the affluent).

As a result, theircitizens live healthier, longer lives than we do.

10. We all pay theprice for poor health. It’s notonly the poor but also

the middle classeswhose health is suffering. We already spend $2 trillion a

year to patch upour bodies, more than twice per person what the average

industrializedcountry spends. Yet we lag behind 28 other countries in life

expectancy, 29other countries in infant mortality, and chronic illness costs

businesses morethan $1 trillion a year in lost productivity. Our health care

system is strainedto the breaking point.

As a society, wehave a choice: reduce poverty, increase incomes

and job security,and improve equality today or pay to repair the

bodies tomorrow.

Unnatural Causes Action Toolkit © 2008 California Newsreelwww.unnaturalcauses.org