The Health Effects of Income Inequality: Averages and Disparities

Truesdale, Beth C.; Jencks, Christopher

doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032315-021606

Cited by 117 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…One potential explanation is that resource scarcity (such as financial hardship) captures part of individuals' cognitive capacity -referred to as 'bandwidth' -in a way that it impedes health behavior and as such may interfere with decision making, long-term planning and increase risk taking" [57,58].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in educational inequalities in obesity in 15 European countries between 1990 and 2010

Hoffmann

Gelder

et al. 2016

European Journal of Public Health

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Background: The prevalence of obesity increased dramatically in many European countries in the past decades. Whether the increase occurred to the same extent in all socioeconomic groups is less known. We systematically assessed and compared the trends in educational inequalities in obesity in 15 different European countries between 1990 and 2010.Methods: Nationally representative survey data from 15 European countries were harmonized and used in a metaregression of trends in prevalence and educational inequalities in obesity between 1990 and 2010. Educational inequalities were estimated by means of absolute rate differences and relative rate ratios in men and women aged 30-64 years. Results: A statistically significant increase in the prevalence of obesity was found for all countries, except for Ireland (among men) and for France, Hungary, Italy and Poland (among women). Meta-regressions showed a statistically significant overall increase in absolute inequalities of 0.11% points [95% CI 0.03, 0.20] per year among men and 0.12% points [95% CI 0.04, 0.20] per year among women. Relative inequalities did not significantly change over time in most countries. A significant reduction of relative inequalities was found among Austrian and Italian women. Conclusion:The increase in the overall prevalence aligned with a widening of absolute but not of relative inequalities in obesity in many European countries over the past two decades. Our findings urge for a further understanding of the drivers of the increase in obesity in lower education groups particularly, and an equity perspective in population-based obesity prevention strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in educational inequalities in obesity in 15 European countries between 1990 and 2010

Hoffmann

Gelder

et al. 2016

European Journal of Public Health

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“…Further, research on the effects of aggregate income inequality on health and wellbeing should lead us to be cautious about connecting inequality and class-divides in parenting. While there has been a great deal of research showing that income inequality is associated with worse social outcomes (i.e., Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009), other scholars caution that this work may suffer from problems of omitted variables bias and have suggested more robust analysis strategies that rely less on cross-national, crosssectional comparisons and more on within-state over-time changes in income inequality (Kenworthy and McCall, 2008;Evans, Hout, and Mayer, 2004;Deaton and Lubotsky, 2003), with particular attention to how income inequality may widen class gaps or disparities in important behaviors (Truesdale and Jencks, 2016;Neckerman and Torche, 2007).…”

Section: A Backdrop Of Rising Income Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 96%

Income Inequality and Class Divides in Parental Investments

2018

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Historic increases in income inequality have coincided with widening class divides in parental investments of money and time in children. These widening class gaps are significant because parental investment is one pathway by which advantage is transmitted across generations. Using over three decades of micro-data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey and the American Heritage Time Use Survey linked to state-year measures of income inequality, we test the relationship between income inequality and class gaps in parental investment. We find robust evidence of wider class gaps in parental financial investments in children—but not parental time investments in children—when state-level income inequality is higher. We explore mechanisms that may drive the relationship between rising income inequality and widening class gaps in parental financial investments in children. This relationship is partially explained by the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution in state-years with higher inequality, which gives higher-earning households more money to spend on financial investments in children. In addition, we find evidence for contextual effects of higher income inequality that reshape parental preferences toward financial investment in children differentially by class.

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“…According to this theory, the concentration of income and political influence among elites weakens broader obligations to the general interests of society. For example, elites often exert political pressure to deregulate polluting industries, reduce taxes, and cut investments in social services and public resources that are intended to improve public health, such as consumer protections, education programs, and health care infrastructure (Kaplan et al 1996, Kawachi and Kennedy 1999, Lynch et al 2000, Clarkwest 2008, Neumayer and Plümper 2016, Truesdale and Jencks 2016.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power, proximity, and physiology: does income inequality and racial composition amplify the impacts of air pollution on life expectancy in the United States?

Jorgenson

Hill

Clark

et al. 2020

Environ. Res. Lett.

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This study advances research at the intersection of environmental degradation, social stratification, and population health in the United States. Expanding the theoretical principles of power, proximity, and physiology, we hypothesize that the harmful effect of fine particulate matter on life expectancy is greater in states with higher levels of income inequality and larger black populations. To test our hypothesis, we use two-way fixed effects regression analysis to estimate the effect of a three-way interaction between fine particulate matter, income share of the top ten percent, and the percent of the population that is black on state-level average life expectancy for all US states and the District of Columbia (2000Columbia ( -2014. The findings support our hypothesis: the estimated effect of the three-way interaction on average life expectancy is negative and statistically significant, net of various socioeconomic and demographic controls. Using post-estimation techniques, we visually illustrate that the harmful effect of fine particulate matter on life expectancy is especially pronounced in states with both very high levels of income inequality and very large black populations. We conclude by summarizing the theoretical and substantive implications of our findings, the limitations of the study, and potential next steps in this evolving area of interdisciplinary research. Recently, Hill and colleagues (2019) conducted a longitudinal analysis of US states and the District of Columbia

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The Health Effects of Income Inequality: Averages and Disparities

Cited by 117 publications

References 52 publications

Trends in educational inequalities in obesity in 15 European countries between 1990 and 2010

Trends in educational inequalities in obesity in 15 European countries between 1990 and 2010

Income Inequality and Class Divides in Parental Investments

Power, proximity, and physiology: does income inequality and racial composition amplify the impacts of air pollution on life expectancy in the United States?

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