The unhealthy lifestyles of the poor and the rich and the fight against it
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Affluent people often eat foods that contain proteins and fats, while the diet of poor people consists of foods that contain mainly carbohydrates.
This conclusion was reached by scientists in the new study, analyzing the diet of people from 17 countries.
On August 26, 2012, at the next congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the results of a major PURE study (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology study) were published, in which 154,000 people from 628 settlements took part.
The study analyzed data on diet, physical activity and smoking.
In the course of the research, it turned out that people with low income or living in countries with an unfavorable economic situation lead a more active lifestyle, which involves high energy costs at work and at home.
It is noteworthy that in developed countries, the lack of physical activity of people at work did not compensate for even a high level of recreational activity (physical activity of a person in their spare time).
The situation with smoking was much better in high-income countries - the inhabitants of these countries are more likely to throw off their addiction than the poor.
According to Professor Salim Yusuf, director of the cardiac clinic of the Canadian university hospital in Ontario and the head of this research, politicians should focus on the problem of cardiovascular diseases and focus on various aspects of life, as well as on differences in living conditions between the inhabitants of rich and poor countries.
The study was conducted in 17 countries under the supervision of the Population Health Research Institute, with the support of the Canadian Institute for Health Research and the Indian Council for Medical Research, as well as a number of other organizations and pharmaceutical companies.
"The results of these studies prove the need for a differential approach to the organization of medical care for poor and rich people in one country, as well as for countries with different standards of living," said Professor David Wood of the University of London, a specialist in cardiovascular disease.