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SCIENCE-WEEK - Part 2
A Free Weekly Digest of the News of Science
January 2, 1998
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[deletia]
20. CUMULATIVE MEDICAL IMPACT OF SUSTAINED ECONOMIC HARDSHIP
Although it has been generally recognized that a correlation
exists between economic hardship and health, the existing data is
a result of correlation studies at one particular time, and
apparently no studies have been reported to show a correlation of
poor health with sustained economic hardship in individuals.
Lynch et al (3 authors at 2 installations, US), in a study of
1100 people with a median age of 65 years in 1994, with income
information collected in 1965, 1974, and 1983, now report that
after adjustment for age and sex, there is a significant assoc-
iation between sustained poverty level and all measures of
functioning except social isolation. The authors conclude that
sustained economic hardship leads to poorer physical, psycholog-
ical, and cognitive functioning, and they suggest that increases
in economic inequality that push large proportions of the popul-
ation into low-income groups may have serious short-term and
long-term health consequences. QY: John W. Lynch, Univ. of Mich-
igan, Dept. of Epidemiology 313-764-7433
(New England J. Med. 25 Dec 97)
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