Can health status improve without economic development in populations?

The economic status of a population falls under the social factor. It is often referred to as ‘Socio Economic Status’. Statistics have shown that in populations where there are limited medical resources and where poverty is prevalent, there are high rates of mortality and morbidity within that population. It is also observable that in populations where there was an increase in income, there was also an increase in health status. But in societies of moderate income, that also experienced an increase in their economic status, a correlation with improved health status could not be deduced. This is thought to be due to an increase in living costs, and hence there is no extra money that one can spend on improving their health. The wages may have increased, but the cost of living is also increased, therefore there is no net gain in economic status. However, a decrease in income does not necessarily lead to a decrease in health status. Many people would have to opt for cheaper f...