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Anti-Poverty Week this year runs from 13-19 October. The week aligns with the annual United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October each year. During Anti-Poverty Week, you can help to collectively address poverty and hardship.

In Australia, the poverty line is defined as 50 per cent of the median household income with more than one in eight people (13.4 per cent) and one in six children (16.6 per cent) living below the poverty line. WACOSS recent polling shows that with the dual pressures of inflation and the RBA’s interest rate increases, more than half of West Australians were forced to cut back substantially on food.

For many, financial stress combined with lack of access to health services, housing, and education and social exclusion, are undeniably damaging to health and wellbeing. A cancer diagnosis often comes with significant financial burdens and impacts a person’s ability to access timely and quality cancer treatment.

Research has indicated that there is a relationship between socio-economic status, cancer incidence and outcomes. People in the lowest socioeconomic groups are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer, more likely to die from cancer, and have lower five year relative survival compared to those living in the highest socioeconomic group.

This can be attributed to higher rates of some cancer risk factors, including smoking, obesity, and inactivity, as well as delayed cancer symptom presentation and less engagement with healthcare services because of cost, limited access to services, lower health literacy, and poorer cancer symptom knowledge.

Promoting cancer prevention and early detection in under-served communities can help address some of the disparities associated with poverty and cancer. Advocating to reduce poverty and improve healthcare and supportive care access will have a significant impact on reducing the disparities related to cancer in vulnerable populations. Including and consulting with priority groups in national strategies will provide vital insight.

Anti-Poverty Week aims to raise awareness, encourage dialogue, challenge misconceptions, and improve understanding of poverty and its far-reaching impacts. We can encourage empathy and understanding and help fight poverty and hardship. Together, we can work toward a world where poverty no longer stops people from reaching their full potential and living a healthy life.

For more information visit the act to end poverty webpage.

References:

  1. ACOSS/UNSW Poverty in Australia 2023 report
  2. The West Australian, page 10, 5 September 2024 Australian Cancer Plan People in Lower Socioeconomic Groups