Income inequality and health: Importance of a cross-country perspective

Karlsson, Martin; Nilsson, Thérèse; Lyttkens, Carl Hampus; Leeson, George W.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.10.056

Cited by 79 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In line with the nearly consensual perspective of a vast number of studies (e.g., Karlsson et al, 2010;Karlsdotter et al, 2012), the positive association between income and health is confirmed in our model. Individuals belonging to high-income households show a probability of health poverty of 15.50% which is 20.33% lower than in the reference case.…”

Section: An Interesting Conclusion Emerging From the Results Presentesupporting

confidence: 89%

Measurement and determinants of health poverty and richness: evidence from Portugal

et al. 2015

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The analysis of health inequalities is a critical topic for health policy. With data for Portugal, we propose an algorithm to convert information provided by the official National Health Survey to EuroQol. Based on these data we make two contributions. First, we extend measures and methods commonly applied in other fields of economic research in order to quantify the phenomena of health poverty, richness, and inequality. Second, using an ordered probit model, we evaluate the determinants of health inequalities in Portugal. The results show that there is a remarkable level of health inequality, with significant rates of poverty (11.64%) and richness (22.64%). The econometric study reveals that gender, age, education, region of residence, and eating habits are among the most critical determinant factors of health.

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Section: An Interesting Conclusion Emerging From the Results Presentesupporting

confidence: 89%

Measurement and determinants of health poverty and richness: evidence from Portugal

et al. 2015

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“…Karlsson and colleagues studied national income inequality and adult health in 19 rich countries in 1990 and 2006 and found evidence of lagged, negative associations between income inequality and activities of daily living and life expectancy (Karlsson, Nilsson, Lyttkens, & Leeson, 2010). Another study of physical health in old age in 16 countries found a negative association between national income inequality (averaged over a 46-year period) and later health (De Vries, Blane, & Netuveli, 2004).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being

Elgar

Gariépy

Torsheim

et al. 2017

Social Science & Medicine

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A prevailing hypothesis about the association between income inequality and poor health is that inequality intensifies social hierarchies, increases stress, erodes social and material resources that support health, and subsequently harms health. However, the evidence in support of this hypothesis is limited by cross-sectional, ecological studies and a scarcity of developmental studies. To address this limitation, we used pooled, multilevel data from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study to examine lagged, cumulative, and trajectory associations between early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being. Psychosomatic symptoms and life satisfaction were assessed in surveys of 11-to 15-year-olds in 40 countries between 1994 and 2014. We linked these data to national Gini indices of income inequality for every life year from 1979 to 2014. The results showed that exposure to income inequality from 0 to 4 years uniquely predicted psychosomatic symptoms and lower life satisfaction after controlling lifetime mean income inequality, national per capita income, family affluence, age, and cohort and period effects.Income inequality from 5 to 9 years also related to symptoms and low life satisfaction in females.The cumulative income inequality exposure in infancy and childhood (i.e., average Gini index from birth to age 10) related to more symptoms and lower life satisfaction in adolescence. Finally, individual trajectories in early-life inequality (i.e., linear slopes in Gini indices from birth to 10 years) related to fewer symptoms and higher life satisfaction, indicating that earlier exposures mattered more to predicting adolescent health and wellbeing. These results help to establish the antecedent-consequence conditions in the association between income inequality and health and suggest that both the magnitude and timing of income inequality in early life have developmental consequences that manifest in reduced health and well-being in adolescence. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT3 Keywords: Income inequality; adolescents; children; health; well-being; Health Behaviour in School-aged Children. M A N U S C R I P T A C C E P T E D ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT4 Early-life income inequality and adolescent health and well-being Socioeconomic contexts shape and constrain adolescent health and well-being (Chen & Paterson, 2006). Recent evidence suggests that socioeconomic differences in adolescent health have widened due to rising income inequality (Elgar et al., 2015; Viner et al., 2012). Income inequality also correlates with poor health and social outcomes (Kondo et al., 2009; Wilkinson & Pickett, 2010). An analysis of adolescent health in 34 mostly high-income countries found that national income inequality related to higher body mass indices, less physical activity, and more self-rated mental and physical health symptoms (Elgar et al., 2015). Other research on children and youth found that national or regional income inequality relates to poor self-rated health (Rözer ...

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“…life expectancy should continue to improve, he suggests, especially if coupled with healthier lifestyles, exercise and diet. Karlsson et al (2010), studying the effects of a reduction in income inequality would have on life expectancy, found that reducing the UK income inequalities to the levels recorded in Sweden would increase 3 Eurostat, 2011. Overweight and obesity -BMI statistics.…”

Section: Future Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%