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Education, income inequality, and mortality: a multiple regression analysis
1Department of Health Services Administration, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 207 Ross Hall, 2801 South University Ave, Little Rock, AR 72204, USA. axmuller@ualr.edu
BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)
|January 5, 2002
Summary
Income inequality
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Sociology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Income inequality has been linked to increased mortality rates in US states.
- The underlying mechanisms driving this association require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if formal education levels mediate the relationship between income inequality and mortality across US states.
- To assess the predictive power of educational attainment on state-level mortality variations.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional, multiple regression analysis was conducted.
- Data from US census and vital statistics (1989-1990) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia were utilized.
- Age-adjusted all-cause mortality served as the dependent variable, with the Gini coefficient, per capita income, and the percentage of individuals lacking a high school diploma as independent variables.
Main Results:
- The association between income inequality and mortality was no longer significant after accounting for the percentage of individuals without a high school diploma.
- The inclusion of educational attainment significantly improved the overall fit of the regression models.
Conclusions:
- The apparent effect of income inequality on mortality variation among US states is explained by disparities in high school educational attainment.
- Low levels of formal education emerge as a potent predictor of mortality differences between states.