Comparing relative effects of education and economic resources on infant mortality in developing countries.

Research on the social determinants of health has often considered education and economic resources as separate indicators of socioeconomic status. From a policy perspective, however, it is important to understand the relative strength of the effect of these social factors on health outcomes, particularly in developing countries. It is also important to examine not only the impact of education and economic resources of individuals, but also whether community and country levels of these factors affect health outcomes.

Estimating standard errors for life expectancies based on complex survey data with mortality follow-up: A case study using the National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files.

Life expectancy is an important measure for health research and policymaking. Linking individual survey records to mortality data can overcome limitations in vital statistics data used to examine differential mortality by permitting the construction of death rates based on information collected from respondents at the time of interview and facilitating estimation of life expectancies for subgroups of interest. However, use of complex survey data linked to mortality data can complicate the estimation of standard errors.

The economic value of improving the health of disadvantaged Americans.

Background: Higher educational attainment is associated with better health status and longer life.

Purpose: This analysis estimates the annual dollar value of the benefits that would accrue to less-educated American adults if they experienced the lower mortality rates and better health of those with a college education.

Methods: Using estimates of differences in mortality among adults aged ≥ 25 years by educational attainment from the National Longitudinal Mortality Survey and of education-based differentials in health status from published studies based on the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, combined with existing estimates of the economic value of a healthy life year, the economic value of raising the health of individuals with less than a college education to the health of the college educated is estimated.

The predicted effects of chronic obesity in middle age on medicare costs and mortality.

Background: The prevalence of adult obesity has increased in recent decades. It is important to predict the long-term effect of body weight, and changes in body weight, in middle age on longevity and Medicare costs in older ages.

Methods: The relationships between individuals' characteristics in middle age and subsequent Medicare costs and mortality were estimated from the linkage of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study to Medicare administrative records (1991-2000) and mortality information (1971-2000).

Causes of death responsible for the widening gap in mortality among educational groups in Austria between 1981 and 1991.

Objective: In Austria, educational differentials in all-cause mortality increased in the decade between 1981/82 and 1991/92. The aim of this study was to identify which causes of death contributed most to this increase.

Methods: Census records for the Austrian population for the years 1981 and 1991 were linked with death register records for a follow-up period of one year.

The importance of place of residence: examining health in rural and nonrural areas.

We examined differences in health measures among rural, suburban, and urban residents and factors that contribute to these differences. Whereas differences between rural and urban residents were observed for some health measures, a consistent rural-to-urban gradient was not always found. Often, the most rural and the most urban areas were found to be disadvantaged compared with suburban areas.

Estimating deaths attributable to obesity in the United States.

Estimates of deaths attributable to obesity in the United States rely on estimates from epidemiological cohorts of the relative risk of mortality associated with obesity. However, these relative risk estimates are not necessarily appropriate for the total US population, in part because of exclusions to control for baseline health status and exclusion or underrepresentation of older adults. Most deaths occur among older adults; estimates of deaths attributable to obesity can vary widely depending on the assumptions about the relative risks of mortality associated with obesity among the elderly.

Achieving national health objectives: the impact on life expectancy and on healthy life expectancy.

Our study quantifies the impact of achieving specific Healthy People 2010 targets and of eliminating racial/ethnic health disparities on summary measures of health. We used life table methods to calculate gains in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy that would result from achievement of Healthy People 2010 objectives or of current mortality rates in the Asian/Pacific Islander (API) population. Attainment of Healthy People 2010 mortality targets would increase life expectancy by 2.