Mortality, Lifestyle and Socio-Economic Status

TitleMortality, Lifestyle and Socio-Economic Status
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2008
AuthorsBalia, S
JournalJournal of Health Economics
Volume27
Issue1
Pagination1-26
Abstract

This paper uses the British Health and Lifestyle Survey (1984-1985) data and the longitudinal follow-up of May 2003 to investigate the determinants of premature mortality in Great Britain and the contribution of lifestyle choices to socio-economic inequality in mortality. A behavioural model, which relates premature mortality to a set of observable and unobservable factors, is considered. A maximum simulated likelihood
(MSL) approach for a multivariate probit (MVP) is used to estimate a recursive system of equations for mortality, morbidity and lifestyles. Health inequality is explored using the Gini coefficient and a decomposition technique. The decomposition analysis for predicted mortality shows that, after allowing for endogeneity, lifestyles contribute strongly to inequality in mortality, reducing the direct role of socio-economic status. This contradicts the view, which is widely held in epidemiology, that lifestyles make a relatively minor contribution to observed socio-economic gradients in health.

URLhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V8K-4N919HS-1&_user=496651&_coverDate=01%2F31%2F2008&_alid=1021085293&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_cdi=5873&_sort=r&_docanchor=&view=c&_ct=1&_acct=C000024278&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=49
DOI10.1016/j.jhealeco.2007.03.001
Keywordshealth inequality, lifestyle, mortality, socio-economic status, unobservable heterogeneity