Economic fluctuations and educational inequalities in premature ischemic heart disease mortality in Argentina.

Although mortality from ischemic heart disease has declined over the past decades in Argentina, ischemic heart disease remains one of the most frequent causes of death. This study aimed to describe the role of individual and contextual factors on premature ischemic heart disease mortality and to analyze how educational differentials in premature ischemic heart disease mortality changed during economic fluctuations in two provinces of Argentina from 1990 to 2018. To test the relationship between individual (age, sex, and educational level) and contextual (urbanization, poverty, and macroeconomic variations) factors, a multilevel Poisson model was estimated.

Are Wealthier Times Healthier in Cities? Economic Fluctuations and Mortality in Urban Areas of Latin America.

To analyze the relationship between economic conditions and mortality in cities of Latin America. We analyzed data from 340 urban areas in ten countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and El Salvador. We used panel models adjusted for space-invariant and time-invariant factors to examine whether changes in area gross domestic product (GDP) per capita were associated with changes in mortality.

Characterising variability and predictors of infant mortality in urban settings: findings from 286 Latin American cities.

Background: Urbanisation in Latin America (LA) is heterogeneous and could have varying implications for infant mortality (IM). Identifying city factors related to IM can help design policies that promote infant health in cities.

Methods: We quantified variability in infant mortality rates (IMR) across cities and examined associations between urban characteristics and IMR in a cross-sectional design.

Household heating associated with disability in activities of daily living among Chinese middle-aged and elderly: a longitudinal study.

Background: The health hazards of indoor air pollution are well-established but studies of the health effects due to pollution from heating are rare. This study investigated the association of heating and disability for activities of daily living among Chinese middle-aged and elderly.

Methods: We used two consecutive surveys in a cohort of over 17,000 adults aged 45 or older, who were interviewed first in 2011-2012 and then in 2013.

Trends in disease mortality before and during the Great Recession in individuals employed in Spain in 2001.

Background: Previous studies on economic recessions and mortality due to cancer and other chronic diseases have yielded inconsistent findings. We investigated the trend in all-disease mortality and mortality due to several specific diseases before and during the Great Recession of 2008 in individuals who were employed in 2001, at the beginning of follow-up.

Methods: We follow in a nationwide longitudinal study over 15 million subjects who had a job in Spain in 2001.

Economic growth and mental health in 21st century China.

Though there are many inconsistencies in the literature, in market economies periods of economic growth, i.e., expansions, have been generally found associated with better mental health than economic contractions, i.

Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Depression, and Alcohol Consumption During Joblessness and During Recessions Among Young Adults in CARDIA.

Research has shown that recessions are associated with lower cardiovascular mortality, but unemployed individuals have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) or death. We used data from 8 consecutive examinations (1985-2011) of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) cohort, modeled in fixed-effect panel regressions, to investigate simultaneously the associations of CVD risk factors with the employment status of individuals and the macroeconomic conditions prevalent in the state where the individual lives. We found that unemployed individuals had lower levels of blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and physical activity, and they had significantly higher depression scores, but they were similar to their counterparts in smoking status, alcohol consumption, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, body mass index, and waist circumference.

Population health and the economy: Mortality and the Great Recession in Europe.

We analyze the evolution of mortality-based health indicators in 27 European countries before and after the start of the Great Recession. We find that in the countries where the crisis has been particularly severe, mortality reductions in 2007-2010 were considerably bigger than in 2004-2007. Panel models adjusted for space-invariant and time-invariant factors show that an increase of 1 percentage point in the national unemployment rate is associated with a reduction of 0.

Mortality decrease according to socioeconomic groups during the economic crisis in Spain: a cohort study of 36 million people.

Background: Studies of the effect of macroeconomic fluctuations on mortality in different socioeconomic groups are scarce and have yielded mixed findings. We analyse mortality trends in Spain before and during the Great Recession in different socioeconomic groups, quantifying the change within each group.

Methods: We did a nationwide prospective study, in which we took data from the 2001 Census.

Health, economic crisis, and austerity: A comparison of Greece, Finland and Iceland.

Reports have attributed a public health tragedy in Greece to the Great Recession and the subsequent application of austerity programs. It is also claimed that the comparison of Greece with Iceland and Finland-where austerity policies were not applied-reveals the harmful effect of austerity on health and that by protecting spending in health and social budgets, governments can offset the harmful effects of economic crises on health. We use data on life expectancy, mortality rates, incidence of infectious diseases, rates of vaccination, self-reported health and other measures to examine the evolution of population health and health services performance in Greece, Finland and Iceland since 1990-2011 or 2012-the most recent years for which data are available.

Individual joblessness, contextual unemployment, and mortality risk.

Longitudinal studies at the level of individuals find that employees who lose their jobs are at increased risk of death. However, analyses of aggregate data find that as unemployment rates increase during recessions, population mortality actually declines. We addressed this paradox by using data from the US Department of Labor and annual survey data (1979-1997) from a nationally representative longitudinal study of individuals-the Panel Study of Income Dynamics.

Macroeconomic effects on mortality revealed by panel analysis with nonlinear trends.

Many investigations have used panel methods to study the relationships between fluctuations in economic activity and mortality. A broad consensus has emerged on the overall procyclical nature of mortality: perhaps counter-intuitively, mortality typically rises above its trend during expansions. This consensus has been tarnished by inconsistent reports on the specific age groups and mortality causes involved.

Health at advanced age: social inequality and other factors potentially impacting longevity in nine high-income countries.

This article surveys the evolution of health at advanced age in nine high-income countries over the last three decades, and the variables that might explain that evolution. Life expectancy at age 65 for males and females is used as summary indicator to conceptualize "health at advanced age." A comparison of the nine countries - Canada, Denmark, France, Japan, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States - reveals excellent health performance for Japan, which has the greatest proportion of elderly people in the population and also the best health indicators for both males and females; the United States and Denmark perform poorly.