Rising childhood income inequality and declining Americans' health.

ABSTRACT: Morbidity and mortality are on the rise among Baby Boomers and younger cohorts. This study investigates whether this unfavorable health trend across birth cohorts 1925-1999 is related to rising income inequality Americans face during childhood. We use two nationally representative datasets: National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 1988-2018 and Panel Studies of Income Dynamics (PSID) 1968-2013, and two health outcomes: biomarkers of physiological dysregulation, and a chronic disease index. Childhood income inequality is measured by the average of the Gini index at the national level each birth cohort is exposed to between birth and age 18, where the Gini index from 1925 to 2016 is computed based on Internal Revenue Service income data. By merging childhood income inequali

SUBMITTER: Zheng H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9750155 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature