Forwarded message: > Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 01:36:08 -0800 > From: Nathan Newman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: BUSINESS WEEK: Income Inequality kills the poor > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Nov 10, 1997 > > THE UNHEALTHY U.S. INCOME GAP > It's linked to higher levels of illness > America has the highest per capita income among the world's leading > countries. Yet despite the well-established relationship between people's > economic status and their health, the U.S. trails a number of nations in > life expectancy and other health indicators. Why this apparent disparity? > > One clue provided by British economist Richard G. Wilkinson in his recent > book, Unhealthy Societies: The Afflictions of Inequality, relates to > America's widening gap between rich and poor. Wilkinson argues that health > gains in advanced nations are more affected by levels of income inequality > than by absolute living standards. His research indicates that life > expectancy in such nations is relatively unrelated to average income but > tends to be higher in countries with less inequality. Moreover, longevity > had risen faster in those with narrowing income gaps than in those with > widening ones. > > Now, Wilkinson's findings have received important corroboration in new > studies focusing solely on health indicators within the U.S. itself. In > one, a team led by epidemiologist George A. Kaplan, formerly of the > California Health Services Dept. and now at the University of Michigan, > found there was a strong correlation between statewide mortality rates and > the degree of income inequality among the 50 states (measured by the share > of income received by the bottom 50% of households within a state). > > A similar study by researchers at the Harvard University School of Public > Health found that income disparities were associated with higher state > death rates from cancer, heart disease, infant mortality, and homicide. > Since both studies controlled for such factors as average income levels, > race, and incidence of poverty, it appears that income gaps affect the > health of more than just the poor and racial minorities. Also, while > overall U.S. mortality rates fell during the 1980s, the Kaplan group found > they fell more slowly in states with the greatest increases in income > inequality. > > Why would income inequality affect health? In a follow-up study published > in the latest issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the Harvard > researchers find that income inequality is associated with low levels of > ''social capital'': That is, residents of states with wider income > disparities show less trust of others and lower membership in voluntary > organizations and neighborhood groups. The Kaplan study also noted that > such states have higher rates of violence and disability, more people > lacking health insurance, and less investment in education. > > Whatever the reason, the apparent relation between income disparities and > health seems worrisome--particularly since America's income gap shows > little sign of narrowing. > > BY GENE KORETZ --
