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To fight against poverty and the social exclusion, especially when they touch the children and the teenagers, is equivalent to improve the health of the most resourceless and the economy of the whole society. It is what takes out again the third report on the state of health of the population of him, achieved jointly by the ministry of Health and the social Services and the national institute of public health of Quebec.

Titled Rich of all our children:  poverty and his/her/its repercussions on the health of the young of less than 18 years, this report has been unveiled at the time of the 11es yearly Days of public health by the Dr Alain Poirier, national director of public Health of Quebec,

" The childhood is a crucial period during which an obstinate state of poverty will have the consequences that will last the whole life", he/it has underlined. He/it made notice also that 20% of the costs of the health services in Canada are attributable to poverty and to the inequalities that ensue some.

The report contains the data that demonstrate a direct tie between the socioeconomic level and health. The programs of struggle to poverty and to the social exclusion have an impact on the health of the most resourceless and they represent a profitable investment for the whole society, one can read in the report.

The researchers raised social measures notably capable to attenuate the consequences of poverty. The Dr Peartree declared to wish that this work " either useful to the decision-makers and to the actors of all landings and all sectors, so that they pursue their efforts to reduce poverty and to attenuate the gaps of health that she/it generates."

The poor children are in less good health that the other

The report reveals some data about the gaps of health within the Québecois population, directly attributable to the socioeconomic inequalities:

    * The death rates of the most underprivileged group are close to three times those of the most favored group at the boys and close to two times at the girls. If all children and teenagers of Quebec displayed the same death rate that the most favored group, it is 186 deaths of less that would be recorded every year.
    * More the family’s socioeconomic situation is precarious, more the rate of hospitalization of the children is raised. If all young of less than 18 years displayed the same rates of hospitalization that most favored among them, we would count every year about 13 500 hospitalizations of less.
    * The mothers of underprivileged environment are 60% more numerous to give birth to a baby of weak weight that the mothers of favored surroundings.
    * The proportion of the asthmatic children has the tendency to decrease when the income of the household increases. * The tits hit 24% of the children of 6 years belonging to families of weak obstinate social standing, compared to 14% at the children of more comfortable surroundings.
    * About 24% of the children of 6 years descended of underprivileged families endure plumpness, compared to 9% in the families whose social standing is raised more.
    * The proportion of youngsters that suffers from psychological distress is of 11% in the households having a lower income, compared to 4% in the households having a superior income.
    * The most underprivileged pupils are three times more numerous (11,5%) to present a delay in their school progress that the most favored pupils (3,4%).

The social measures aiming to encourage the maternal nursing, the company of the services on duty young and a good social support to the parents has the effect of attenuating these inequalities, underline the authors of the report.

Quebec makes good face all the same

To Quebec, the impact, the intensity and the gravity of poverty are least that in the other left from Canada even though, on the whole, the province counts among least rich of the country, indicate the data of the report. According to the Dr Peartree, it " explains itself by the quality of the laws, the policies and the public programs that we put in place. The fiscal solidarity and the governmental help granted to the children and the families don’t have an equivalent in the other provinces."

In fact, Quebec compares itself favorably to the United States, to United Kingdom, to Australia, in Italy and to Spain concerning struggle against poverty. Only France, Germany, Holland and the four Scandinavian countries make better face in this regard.

In spite of the good performance of Quebec, the number of poor households that one counts there today counts a more and more strong proportion of workers, even full-time, makes notice the Dr Peartree however. These results incite it to believe that it is necessary to make higher the hourly wages in order to avoid that the situation doesn’t deteriorate.

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