We find that both disease incidence and disease prevalence are higher among Americans in age groups 55-64 and 70-80, indicating that Americans suffer from higher past cumulative disease risk and experience higher immediate risk of new disease onset compared with the English. In contrast, age-specific mortality rates are similar in the two countries, with an even higher risk among the English af...

OBJECTIVES This study systematically analyzed convoys of social relations to investigate the ways in which gender and income shape patterns of social relations across the life course in Lebanon. METHODS Data were drawn from a representative sample of adults aged 18 and older in Greater Beirut, Lebanon (N = 500). Multiple linear regression and multilevel models were conducted to examine main a...

In this paper we investigate changes in monthly income volatility in low-income households in the United States since the early 1990s, as well as the relationship between that volatility and food insufficiency. Drawing on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we examine whether negative income shocks increase the chances that a household experiences food insufficiency...

This study, conducted in India in 2005, provides evidence on Willingness to pay (WTP), gathered through a unidirectional (descending) bidding game among 3024 households (HH) in seven locations where micro health insurance units are in operation. Insured persons reported slightly higher WTP values than uninsured. About two-thirds of the sample agreed to pay at least 1%; about half the sample was...

Using General Social Survey data from 1972 to 2008, we found that Americans were on average happier in the years with less national income inequality than in the years with more national income inequality. We further demonstrated that this inverse relation between income inequality and happiness was explained by perceived fairness and general trust. That is, Americans trusted other people less ...

We study the effects of cross-border patient mobility on health care quality and welfare when income varies across and within regions. We use a Salop model with a high-, middle-, and low-income region. In each region, a policy maker chooses health care quality to maximise the utility of its residents when health care costs are financed by general income taxation. In equilibrium, regions with hi...

OBJECTIVE To compare availability, urban price, and affordability of child/family safety devices between 18 economically diverse countries. DESIGN Descriptive: urban price surveys by local safety organisations or shoppers. SETTING Retail stores and internet vendors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Prices expressed in US dollars, and affordability measured by hours of factory work needed to buy a ch...

This chapter reviews a variety of issues related to the taxation of cigarettes and other tobacco products. The empirical evidence showing that higher cigarette taxes result in higher cigarette prices is reviewed. This is followed by a discussion of the econometric literature examining the impact of prices and taxes on the demands for tobacco products. The small but growing body of research for ...

PURPOSE Numerous studies show associations between father absence and girls' early puberty. However, most research has been retrospective, focused on menarche, and failed to consider body mass index (BMI), ethnicity, and income in the analyses. This study resolves these scientific gaps. METHODS This was a prospective study of 444 girls aged 6-8 years and their caregivers (96% mothers). Data w...