As Income Gap Widens, So Do Adolescent Health Disparities
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Thomas Northcut/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — In a multinational survey study of nearly half a million adolescents in wealthy countries like the U.S., it seems that adolescents from lower-income populations have worse health than they’ve had in the past.
The findings, published in The Lancet, reveal that socioeconomic differences across multiple areas of adolescent mental and physical health increased between 2002 and 2010, with young people from the poorest socioeconomic groups more likely to be in worse health, such as being less physically active, with larger body mass index, and reporting more physical and psychological symptoms.
As the gap between rich and poor increased in these countries, the disparity in health worsened in poorer teenagers, according to the study.
As inequities worsen in adolescents, there is growing concern among the study’s authors for the same or decreased health as these teens become adults.
The study’s authors say that without legislation to improve adolescent health care in low-income neighborhoods, the problem will continue to get worse.
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