Work

U.S. State Policy Contexts and Physical Health among Midlife Adults

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines how state policy contexts may have contributed to unfavorable adult health in recent decades. It merges individual-level data from the 1993-2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n=2,166,835) with 15 state-level policy domains measured annually on a conservative to liberal continuum. We examined associations between policy domains and health among adults ages 45-64 years and assess how much of the associations is accounted by adults' socioeconomic, behavioral/lifestyle, and family factors. A more liberal version of the civil rights domain was associated with better health. It was disproportionately important for less-educated adults and women, and its association with adult health was partly accounted by educational attainment, employment, and income. Environment, gun safety, and marijuana policy domains were, to a lesser degree, predictors of health in some model specifications. In sum, health improvements require a greater focus on macro-level factors that shape the conditions in which people live.

Source: Socius Sociological Research for a Dynamic World

DOI: 10.1177/23780231221091324

Authors: Blakelee R. Kemp, Jacob M. Grumbach, Jennifer Karas Montez

Institutions: University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Washington, Syracuse University

Language: English

Topic: Health disparities and outcomes

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $700