Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

Impact on Toronto:

Good health eludes almost half of our city’s residents. Torontonians’ lifestyle choices are increasing the potential burden on our health system, while income inequalities are having a staggering negative effect on physical and mental health.

Why it matters:

When we think of health issues, many of us think of overflowing emergency rooms and long wait lists. However, lifestyle choices, such as how much we exercise and what we eat, can have a greater effect on our mental and physical health than the availability of doctors or technologies.

• 58% of Torontonians are inactive during leisure time, including 38.9% of youth.
• 16% of women in Toronto’s lowest income neighbourhoods rated their health as ‘fair’ or ‘poor’ in 2006, compared to 6% in the highest income neighbourhoods.
• 11 of Toronto’s 13 Priority Neighbourhoods have high rates of diabetes.
• Suicide attempts are 10 times higher among those living in poverty in Ontario than those who are not.