New Peg report shows that poverty triples the chances of dying before age 75

WINNIPEG—December 8, 2015—A new Peg report shows that differences in individual circumstances, such as income, dramatically impact life expectancy – with those in the highest-income bracket living, on average, nearly 20 years longer than those in the lowest. 

The report Our City: A Peg Report on Health Equity shines a light on the gap between the groups in Winnipeg experiencing the highest and lowest health status, with the gap widening for some indicators.  The 11 indicators in the report show that the gap is tied to issues related to income and other social circumstances. 

“Disadvantage profoundly limits opportunities to be healthy. This is about much more than individual health choices,” said Dr. Sande Harlos, Medical Officer of Health with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.

The report, echoing the experiences of those working in health and social services, highlights that addressing these gaps will require the involvement of all aspects of our community – including business, government, non-profits, and other groups. 

“It is concerning to see such significant health inequity in our city – and in some cases, to see inequity growing. By working together, we can change this picture”, said Connie Walker, President and CEO of United Way Winnipeg.

 “Peg clearly continues to be a crucial tool for Winnipeggers to understand some of the inequities that exist in our city,” said Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development. “These sobering findings are an urgent call for collaborative action.”

The report, developed in partnership with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, can be found online at https://goo.gl/lWMqq7.

Peg is a community indicator system that measures the health of our community year over year – in ways that count. Peg is led by two partnering organizations – the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) and United Way of Winnipeg (UW).

Peg is the starting place for Winnipeg citizens, educators, policy makers, and many others to learn more about our city so we can lead change to create a better city for our children and their children. At Peg we can all learn how our lives, our neighbourhood and our city is changing – for the good and the bad. Learn more at www.mypeg.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Scott Sime, Vice-President, Marketing and Communications, United Way WinnipegPhone: 204-924-4250  (office) | 204-801-5877 (cell)Email: [email protected]