Does early-life income inequality predict self-reported health in later life? Evidence from the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 347-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dean R. Lillard ◽  
Richard V. Burkhauser ◽  
Markus H. Hahn ◽  
Roger Wilkins
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 660-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai S. Yang ◽  
Jan E. Mutchler

Objective: We estimate depressive symptoms in a sample of older Hmong refugees in the United States, and investigate factors shaping risk of depression in this population. Method: Data were collected in California and Minnesota ( N = 127). The study sample included Hmong immigrants aged 55 and over. The measure of depression used is the Hopkins Symptom Checklist–10 (HSCL-10) inventory. Linear regression models were used to identify significant correlates of depressive symptoms. Results: More than 72% of the participants indicated being symptomatic of depression, as reflected by having a HSCL-10 score of 1.85 or higher. Self-reported health was a risk factor for depression. Protective factors from depression were larger household size and older age of arrival into the United States. Discussion: This study updated knowledge about the mental health status of Hmong refugees, who are now at later life. Our findings suggest that depression may be a lifelong experience in this high risk population.


1969 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 159-171 ◽  

In his autobiography entitled From Kansas farm boy to scientist , Elmer McCollum gives a vivid description of his early life on a farm near Fort Scott in the State of Kansas. His forebears, of Scottish origin, had emigrated to the United States in 1763 and all had been farmers. His own parents were people of little education, who by dint of hard work and frugal living had become prosperous by local standards and had built a ‘frame house’ in which Elmer was born in 1879, the fourth child and the elder of two sons. Owing to his father’s ill-health, he was put to all types of farm work from an early age. It was a mixed farm with cows, pigs and poultry, as well as crops. By the age of eleven he was experienced in the planting and harrowing of crops as well as in the care of farm animals, which remained an asset in his later life when many of his researches were concerned with their nutrition.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 1179173X1882526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baksun Sung

Background: Numerous studies have reported that shorter time to first cigarette (TTFC) is linked to elevated risk for smoking-related morbidity. However, little is known about the influence of early TTFC on self-reported health among current smokers. Hence, the objective of this study was to examine the association between TTFC and self-reported health among US adult smokers. Methods: Data came from the 2012-2013 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATS). Current smokers aged 18 years and older (N = 3323) were categorized into 2 groups based on TTFC: ≤ 5 minutes (n = 1066) and >5 minutes (n = 2257). Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to control selection bias. Results: After adjusting for sociodemographic and smoking behavior factors, current smokers with early TTFC had higher odds for poor health in comparison with current smokers with late TTFC in the prematching (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.31-2.08) and postmatching (AOR = 1.60; 95% CI = 1.22-2.09) samples. Conclusions: In conclusion, smokers with early TTFC were associated with increased risk of poor health in the United States. To reduce early TTFC, elaborate efforts are needed to educate people about harms of early TTFC and benefits of stopping early TTFC.


2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 790-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Macdonald

The United States has become increasingly unequal. Income inequality has risen dramatically since the 1970s, yet public opinion toward redistribution has remained largely unchanged. This is puzzling, given Americans’ professed concern regarding, and knowledge of, rising inequality. I argue that trust in government can help to reconcile this. I combine data on state-level income inequality with survey data from the Cumulative American National Election Studies (CANES) from 1984 to 2016. I find that trust in government conditions the relationship between inequality and redistribution, with higher inequality prompting demand for government redistribution, but only among politically trustful individuals. This holds among conservatives and non-conservatives and among the affluent and non-affluent. These findings underscore the relevance of political trust in shaping attitudes toward inequality and economic redistribution and contribute to our understanding of why American public opinion has not turned in favor of redistribution during an era of rising income inequality.


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