News Release

US Health Is Worse In States With Larger Income Inequalities

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

(Income distribution, socioeconomic status and self rated health in the United States: multilevel analysis)

Inequalities in health associated with socioeconomic status are large, but aren't necessarily explained solely by the fact that some people have high income and some do not, say Dr Bruce Kennedy et al from the Harvard School of Public Health in the United States in this week's BMJ. Based on their research conducted in all 50 states, the authors found that the effects of state income distribution was also important. The theory that those with low income have poorer health is unsurprising, however Kennedy and colleagues have found that in states where inequalities in the distribution of income are large, even those in the middle income groups rate their health as poorer than middle income earners in states with a more equitable income distribution. The authors conclude that social and economic policies that affect income distribution may have important consequences for the health of the population.

Contact:

Dr Bruce Kennedy, Deputy Director, Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA

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