Dr Eva Orsmond left 'humbled' and 'shocked' after examining Ireland's health divide
Statistics have found that children in Ireland born in poverty will die on average six years earlier than children born into affluence.
Dr Eva Orsmond, a doctor working in public health here, investigates why it is your social position that will determine the quality of your life and ultimately how long you will live.
In "Ireland’s Health Divide", airing tonight on RTÉ One at 9.35pm, she looks at why where you are born and raised has a direct impact on how long you live.
In tonight's programme, Dr Orsmond visits Moyross in Co Limerick where she sees the impact of social deprivation, opening her eyes to realities of living in poverty in Ireland today.
In her visit Dr Orsmond spoke to Jeanette, a mother of seven who was doing her weekly shopping.
She noticed that there was a lot of processed food in Jeanette's shopping and asked her if she ever looked at the small print on the food labels.
Focussing in particular on some sausages, which she said were mainly fat, Dr Orsmond told Jeanette: "Over half of the calories of these sausages are coming all just from fat."
However, the Limerick mother said: "But that's a cheap brand for me...I'm saving money, I have to save money with the children I have.
"I don't look at fat (on the labels), I just go in and get my shopping.
"I don't look at things, I just pick up what cheap brands there are, because I have to over the prices."
Afterwards Dr Orsmond tells viewers that she is left feeling "humbled".
She said: "I always thought people had the ability to take personal responsibility for their own health, but after filming this documentary I’ve really changed my views.
"I didn’t think I was easily shocked but some of what I’ve seen in Ireland’s most disadvantaged communities has truly shocked me, I saw poverty that I didn’t think existed in this country.
"I now understand that tackling health inequality is much more complex than lecturing people about the food on their plate or their health choices. It’s about understanding why people make those choices in the first place."
