Prosperity as a cause of death

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• General death rates exhibit cyclical patterns correlating with economic activity.
• This variation encompasses a wide range of causes, including infectious diseases, accidents, heart disease, cancer, and liver cirrhosis.
• Suicide and homicide rates show a distinct inverse relationship with unemployment, unlike the general death rate.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between economic cycles and general mortality rates.
• To identify the specific causes of death influenced by economic fluctuations.
• To explore the role of social factors, such as stress, overwork, and community fragmentation, in mediating these relationships during economic booms.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of historical and contemporary data on death rates and economic cycles.
• Examination of specific causes of death in relation to economic indicators.
• Correlation analysis to assess the impact of social stressors on mortality.

Main Results:

• The general death rate increases during economic booms and decreases during depressions.
• Most major causes of death are implicated in this cyclical variation.
• Social stress, including overwork and community fragmentation due to migration, is identified as a significant factor in twentieth-century economic cycles' impact on mortality.

Conclusions:

• Economic cycles have a broad and significant impact on overall mortality.
• Social stress emerges as a critical mediator of mortality during economic booms in contemporary society.
• Understanding these socioeconomic determinants of health is crucial for public health interventions.