A new study has found out that the economic expansion could have a worst effect on your health than a downturn, thus revealing possible benefits to the recession that we are facing.
It is difficult to imagine any silver lining to the chaotic years of the Great Depression, when the unemployment rate had reached 23 percent and the GDP had shrunk by 14 percent. But is it possible that the U.S. population’s general health improved while the nation’s economic fitness dropped. And, if a struggling economy enhances longevity, what are the implications for our recent recession.
It so happened that the miserable years of the Great Depression, as assessed by the unemployment and GDP rate, also saw the maximum gains in terms of life expectancy and drops in the mortality rates. Also, a study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences claims that the population paid the price concerning their health during the years that the economy boosted up.
In order to analyze the relationship between the health of the population in general and the economic well-being, social scientists like Ana Diez-Roux and José Tapia Granados form the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, have collected U.S. Census Bureau records concerning the life expectancy, GDP, unemployment and mortality rates for every year as from 1920 to 1940. Tapia explains that the study looks in depth at the data that have been existing for several years but that have not been given due attention.
The authors began by comparing the changes in the life expectancy and mortality rates for each year to annual changes in the rate of unemployment and the growth of GDP for a period of two decades. When the authors plotted a graph of life expectancy over this time period against the economic indicators, they discovered a negative correlation between the life expectancy and economic expansion. The greatest benefits in terms of years added to life expectancy corresponded to the years when the nation suffered from economic recession; 1921 and 1938, and the depression from 1929 to 1933. On the other hand, the health of the people seemed to have suffered during the years 1926 and 1936, when the economy of the nation prospered.
Likewise, a positive correlation between the economic growth and the rate of mortality has been observed. Even when variable such as age and sex were taken into consideration, the authors noticed a similar trend to fluctuating degrees. Although there was a drop in the mortality rates, and hit a plateau during the years of recession, and climbed in the years of economic expansion for all groups, the changes in the life duration were more prominent for the males, persons of middle to old age and babies under one.
An enduring trend
According to the observations of Christopher Ruhm, professor of economics of University of North Carolina at the Greensboro’s Bryan School of Business and Economics, the findings for the Depression is similar to those for mild recessions. The later has done studies on the impacts of recession on health says that it is not surprising that the findings for the Great Depression do not differ much.
This inverse relationship may be viewed as being counterintuitive as a growing economy suggests that a health care will be accessible to a greater number of people. However, as Tapia highlights, researchers who have done studies on the effect of health care on the people health are usually not disposed to think that accessibility to health care has a great impact. On the contrary, the lifestyles and tensions that come along with a bullish market increase the rate of death.
Tapia explains that when people have the money allowing them to indulge, they tend to drink more and also be overweight during periods of economic growth. Moreover, the jobs in the Depression period increased the level of stress, requiring long hours of work with little vacation and in several causes, were inherently risky.
While keeping in mind these potential health hazards, Tapia study discovered that the death caused by cardiovascular disease, which was the predominant killer during the 1920s and ‘30s, heightened with the national prosperity. Quite logically, the number of injuries associated with automobiles, an extravagance that many people could not afford during the Depression, also amplified during the recovery years of the economy. Even though the authors did not investigate about the death due to risky work conditions, Tapia affirms that previous studies have found workplace injuries also swelled with high employment but, when compared with heart attacks, they were a moderately minor cause of death on overall.
There was also a drop in the rate of mortality caused by influenza and pneumonia during the recessionary years, possibly because people were less in close physical contact with one other that transmits the flu virus.
Unemployment Stress
Though an astounding rate of unemployment experienced during the Depression could have caused an intense stress, Ruhm declares that stress that is related to employment is far more severe than the one undergone during unemployment. Actually, the number of suicide cases increased during the period of economic contradiction. Among all the causes of mortality that the researchers analyzed, stress seemed to be responsible for the fatalities during the recession period than the years when the economy was prosperous. Tapia further clarifies that statistics show that out of every 100,000 people, the number of suicide cases increased, 13 in the year 1927 and 17 in the Depression and then dropped down to 14 in 1933, when the economic condition finally improved. However, stress remains a trivial cause of death when compared to the rate of heart attacks; around 400 out of every 100,000 people.
The fact that Tapia’s study found an inverse relationship between the economic situation and the health of the population for the Great Depression resembling the finding for lesser recessions implies that this relationship applies even in more harsh economic times. Ruhm says that even if the economy would have undergone a severe collapse, health improvements would have still been seen.
Some complex factors for now
There exist several safety net laws and reforms that have been passed since the Depression period. The later suggests that the peaks and valleys on the death rate and lifespan graph would not be as prominent. Nowadays, there are economic insulators in place like unemployment insurance that was not present at the time of depression. Ruhm is of opinion that if we have a look at countries that invest more in social safety nets, one can see that these effects are being subdued.
Although the support provided by the government has extended, Tapia is of view that the social support has slipped in the recent past. Firstly, the average U.S. household is smaller in size when compared to those in the 1920s and 1930s. In addition, according to the study American Sociological Review conducted in 2006 discovered that an average person has now lesser persons in whom they could confide than folks usually did two decades back. This rise in isolation among the U.S. population could render the people more vulnerable to stress due to the economy and thereby to greater ups and down in health, Tapia explains, referring to a body of research that shows that people who are well integrated in their communities have a tendency to enjoy a superior level of safety against premature death.
It is quite early to really know how the nation’s health is being changed by the recent recession. Social scientists and economists usually have to wait for five to ten years after the period they want to investigate for all the statistical data to become accessible. But, basing ourselves on the persistent pattern that has been seen for recessions over the previous century, we can have quite good conjecture. With our economic situation collapses, there is the possibility that our health will somewhat improve.
Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity
Sun, Feb 21, 2010
Anti Aging, Gerontology, Health And Aging, Lifestyle, Longevity