Poverty, from the perspective of public health, is the worst poison and the worst enemy of health inequality.
Minkang has never been a medical issue, but a social issue to be more precise.
Written by: Dr. Li Xia Yin, Director of Strategic Development, Hospital Authority
According to a health survey conducted by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health in 2014-15, the lower the monthly income, the more people feel that their physical and health conditions are poor.
If you want to know the health status of people in a place, you should not only look at the average life expectancy, the medical system, the percentage of medical expenditure in GDP, the number of medical staff, etc., but also the habits and ways of people's life. The awareness and cognition of the society, what construction and policies can make people live a healthier life.
Poverty does not just mean being unable to afford medical expenses, it profoundly affects the way of life of low-income people, and indirectly and directly negatively affects their health.
For example, low-income families in the United States generally eat less of relatively healthy foods, such as high-quality protein, whole grains, fresh vegetables, and fruits.
Studies have shown that compared with the average family, low-income people only eat 50-60% of the normal amount of fresh fruits and vegetables, and they tend to eat energy-dense starchy and high-sugar foods.
It is also known that this is the cause of obesity, and the diseases that obesity can cause are a kind of medical burden.
It is disturbing that America is trying to solve a social problem with a medical solution.
They introduced surgery to remove part of the stomach to control food intake and achieve the effect of slimming.
The long-term use of medical methods to solve social problems not only treats the symptoms but not the root causes, but also has a small audience, which drives up the cost of medical care and makes the disparity between the rich and the poor even wider, which is definitely a vicious circle.
Another example is sports facilities.
Many private clubs and private fitness centers in Hong Kong have indeed created sports opportunities for those who can afford it. Citizens who cannot afford the monthly fitness fee can go jogging on the waterfront promenade in their free time.
But, have you ever thought about the length of labor hours in Hong Kong, especially for office workers who stop and talk, where is there any spare time to exercise?
Many developed countries have incorporated elements into the design of footpaths to make citizens move without knowing it.
To break the situation, we must break through our thinking. Public health policy is not just medical policy. To achieve real national security and public security, we really need the coordination and cooperation of different policies.
"Hong Kong 01" "01 Clinic", in cooperation with the Hospital Authority, publishes a column "Garden Tour" written by medical staff every Wednesday.
Apricot Forest.
"Xinglin" comes from the story of Dong Feng, a famous doctor in the Three Kingdoms era. Later generations praised medical care as "Xinglin". Four people from Xinglin from the Hospital Authority led the garden to visit Xinglin Grand View Garden. A little bit of reason.
Looking at the epidemic from history
