Full Citation
Title: Explaining the Widening Education Gap in Mortality among US White Women
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2013
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Abstract: Over the past half century the gap in mortality across education levels has grown in the United States, and since the mid-1980s, the growth has been especially pronounced among white women. The reasons for the growth among white women are unclear. We investigated three explanationssocialpsychological factors, economic circumstances, and health behaviorsfor the widening education gap in mortality from 1997 to 2006 among white women aged 45 to 84 years using data from the National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File (N = 46,744; 4,053 deaths). Little support was found for social-psychological factors, but economic circumstances and health behaviors jointly explained the growing education gap in mortality to statistical nonsignificance. Employment and smoking were the most important individual components. Increasing high school graduation rates, reducing smoking prevalence, and designing work-family policies that help women find and maintain desirable employment may reduce mortality inequalities among women.
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Authors: Zajacova, Anna; Montez, Jennifer K.
Periodical (Full): Journal of health and social behavior
Issue: 2
Volume: 54
Pages: 165-181
Data Collections: IPUMS Health Surveys - NHIS
Topics: Education, Gender, Race and Ethnicity
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