A comparison of the health status of Riverdale residents with residents of the rest of Toronto based on the Toronto Community Health Survey.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To compare the health status of Riverdale residents with residents of the rest of Toronto. DESIGN: Cross-sectional telephone survey. SETTING: Toronto. TIME FRAME October 1988-June 1989. PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred and fourteen residents of Riverdale, a residential-industrial area of Toronto, and 866 residents of the rest of Toronto, age 15 years and older in households with telephones. MAIN RESULTS: Respondents in Riverdale compared to respondents in the rest of Toronto were more likely to speak languages other than English, have less formal education, and be of Oriental ethnic origin. Perceived health status varied between the two areas, but no significant difference existed in diagnosed morbidity. Riverdale respondents were much more aware of food and soil contamination than respondents from the rest of Toronto.