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Economic Opportunity, Health Behaviors, and Mortality in the United States

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether economic opportunity was independently associated with health behaviors and outcomes in the United States. METHODS: Using newly available, cross-sectional, county-level data from the Equality of Opportunity Project Database and vital statistics, we estimated associations between all-cause mortality rates (averaged over 2000-2012) and economic opportunity, adjusting for socioeconomic, demographic, and health system covariates. Our measure of economic opportunity was the county-average rank in the national income distribution attained by individuals born to families in the bottom income quartile. Secondary outcomes included rates of age- and race-specific mortality, smoking, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. RESULTS: An increase in economic opportunity from the lowest to the highest quintile was associated with a 16.7% decrease in mortality. The magnitudes of association were largest for working-age adults and African Americans. Greater economic opportunity was also associated with health behaviors and risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Economic opportunity is a robust, independent predictor of health. Future work should investigate underlying causal links and mechanisms.

Source: American Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2015.302941

Authors: Atheendar S. Venkataramani, Paula Chatterjee, Ichiro Kawachi, Alexander C. Tsai

Institutions: Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Health disparities and outcomes

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: green

Funders: U.S. Public Health Service, National Institute of Mental Health