Unemployment and mortality in Denmark, 1970-80

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Unemployment is a significant socioeconomic factor with potential health implications.
• Previous studies suggest a link between unemployment and increased mortality, but comprehensive analysis is needed.
• Understanding the mortality patterns of the unemployed is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relative mortality rates among unemployed versus employed Danish individuals.
• To identify specific causes of death contributing to mortality differences.
• To explore the influence of socioeconomic factors and regional unemployment rates on mortality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the 1970 Danish census, encompassing approximately 2 million employed and 22,000 unemployed individuals aged 20-64.
• Employed multiplicative hazard regression models and regression models with extra-Poisson variation for mortality analysis.
• Adjusted for covariates including occupation, housing, region, and marital status.

Main Results:

• Unemployed individuals exhibited a significantly increased death rate of 40-50% compared to the employed.
• Elevated mortality was observed across all causes, with notable increases in deaths from suicide and accidents.
• A lower relative mortality among the unemployed was found in areas with higher local unemployment rates.

Conclusions:

• Unemployment is associated with substantially higher mortality, even after adjusting for key socioeconomic factors.
• The findings suggest a dual explanation involving health-related selection into unemployment and the detrimental health effects of unemployment-related psychosocial stress.
• Public health strategies should address the health consequences of unemployment, particularly concerning accidents and suicide.