Prosperity as a Cause of Death

Eyer, Joseph

doi:10.2190/9wa2-rvl3-mt9d-el9d

Cited by 139 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The fact that population health tends to evolve better in recessions than in expansions was first noted decades ago (18)(19)(20), but was largely ignored until recently, when several studies reported this relationship using data from the latter half of the twentieth century (14)(15)(16)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). A number of mechanisms may explain the effects of business cycles on health (11, 15, 19-21, 23, 24, 27-30).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life and death during the Great Depression

Granados

Roux

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

203

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Recent events highlight the importance of examining the impact of economic downturns on population health. The Great Depression of the 1930s was the most important economic downturn in the U.S. in the twentieth century. We used historical life expectancy and mortality data to examine associations of economic growth with population health for the period 1920 -1940. We conducted descriptive analyses of trends and examined associations between annual changes in health indicators and annual changes in economic activity using correlations and regression models. Population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the 4 years of the Great Depression, 1930 -1933, with mortality decreasing for almost all ages, and life expectancy increasing by several years in males, females, whites, and nonwhites. For most age groups, mortality tended to peak during years of strong economic expansion (such as 1923, 1926, 1929, and 1936 -1937). In contrast, the recessions of 1921, 1930 -1933, and 1938 coincided with declines in mortality and gains in life expectancy. The only exception was suicide mortality which increased during the Great Depression, but accounted for less than 2% of deaths. Correlation and regression analyses confirmed a significant negative effect of economic expansions on health gains. The evolution of population health during the years 1920 -1940 confirms the counterintuitive hypothesis that, as in other historical periods and market economies, population health tends to evolve better during recessions than in expansions.longevity ͉ mortality ͉ United States

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life and death during the Great Depression

Granados

Roux

2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

203

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“…Examples include air pollution and traffic congestion, which rise with economic activity and may have particularly strong effects on the mortality of vulnerable segments of the population (Braga, Zanobetti, and Schwartz 2001;Brunekreef and Holgate 2002;Clancy et al 2002;Peters et al 2004). Geographic migration, induced by economic expansions, could similarly increase social isolation and reduce community support, with particularly detrimental impacts for the old and young (Eyer 1977;Tapia Granados 2005b). Heightened intensity of employment may also make it harder for workers to care for their aged dependents (Vistnes and Hamilton 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A healthy economy can break your heart

2007

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Abstract:Panel data methods are used to investigate how deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) in the United States vary with macroeconomic conditions. A one-percentage-point reduction in unemployment is predicted to raise CHD mortality by 0.75%, corresponding to almost 3,900 additional fatalities. The increase in relative risk is similar across age groups, implying that senior citizens account for most of the extra deaths. Direct evidence is obtained of a role for decreases in medical interventions treating coronary problems. CHD mortality increases rapidly when the economy strengthens but returns to or near its baseline level within five years for most groups. Article:Does mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) fall when macroeconomic conditions strengthen? The answer to this question may seem obvious. Heart disease is the leading source of death in the United States (Anderson and Smith 2005), and CHD, its most important component, is highly responsive to both environmental and individual risk factors. Because economic upturns are believed to reduce social and psychological hardship, health might be expected to improve and CHD mortality to decrease (Brenner and Mooney 1983;Catalano 1991). Moreover, widely cited investigations of aggregate time-series data covering the 1930s through the 1970s suggest reductions in CHD fatalities during periods of falling unemployment (Brenner 1971(Brenner , 1979Bunn 1979). However, these results are probably wrong. Evidence presented here suggests that mortality from heart disease rises when the economy expands and that this rise in heart-disease mortality is entirely due to increased CHD deaths.

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“…Early studies of the relationship between macroeconomic conditions and CVD mortality primarily used economic indicators such as per capita gross domestic product (GDP) or unemployment as proxies for economic conditions or instability and examined data using time series analyses (18,19,46,51,159). Some studies indicated a potential positive relationship between economic conditions and heart disease mortality, but in many cases, these were highly sensitive to model specifications and hypothesized lag times.…”

Section: Macroeconomic Factors and Cvdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Determinants and the Decline of Cardiovascular Diseases: Understanding the Links

Harper

Lynch

Smith

2011

Annu. Rev. Public Health

145

136

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This article reviews the historical declines in cardiovascular mortality and provides an overview of the contribution of social and economic factors to disease change. We document the magnitude of declines in cardiovascular diseases and the major role of changes in conventional risk factors, and we review the contributions of social determinants to changes in disease rates. We conclude by arguing that understanding patterns and trends of social inequalities in cardiovascular disease and its risk factors requires consideration of the specific intersections of health and social exposures acting across the life course in different settings, in both time and place. 39

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Prosperity as a Cause of Death

Cited by 139 publications

References 43 publications

Life and death during the Great Depression

Life and death during the Great Depression

A healthy economy can break your heart

Social Determinants and the Decline of Cardiovascular Diseases: Understanding the Links

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