The Great Recession made people sick, says new research
Significant economic downturns—like that experienced during the Great Recession—make people physically sick, according to new research from the US and the UK.
Evaluations of the health-related impacts of economic recessions have so far shown inconsistent results, reports Nick Drydakis in his IZA World of Labor article. While downturns are known to have negative effects on mental health and lead to an increase in suicides, they have been proven to reduce mortality rates. Firm conclusions about the relationship between recessions and certain health problems, such as cardiovascular and liver diseases, have also been difficult to reach.
New findings from the US published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggest it is the stress associated with recessions that can harm people’s health: Economic hardship causes stress, and that stress can disrupt the body’s systems.
Researchers at UCLA examined data on 4,600 Americans aged between 45 and 84 collected between 2000 and 2012 to look for changes in their blood pressure and fasting blood sugar levels—blood pressure increased significantly among all groups, while blood glucose increased among certain groups.
The authors speculate that stress caused the spikes, with potentially different stressors for different generations. The younger people were either unemployed or deeply concerned about their retirement. The older people surveyed who owned their own homes had watched the housing market collapse. These situations likely drove up stress levels and blood pressure.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the UK economy shrunk by 4.3% in 2009 alone and the government had to bail out and nationalize large domestic banks, leading to increased government debt. England has since seen a huge rise in mental health problems, obesity, and diabetes, especially among women and the less educated, according to researchers at City, University of London and King’s College London.
The authors of the UK study looked at Health Survey for England data covering about 9,000 English households for the period 2001–2013, concentrating on those over the age of 16. It found that the start of the recession was associated with worse dietary habits and increased BMI and obesity.
A shift away from risky behaviors such as smoking and drinking was also seen. In addition, there was an increase in the use of medicines and a greater likelihood of suffering diabetes and mental health problems.
The authors suggest uncertainty and negative expectations for the financial future are to blame.
The lead author, Professor Mireia Jofre-Bonet, believes that with the National Health Service and health-related services under increasing pressure and another recession increasingly likely, the study’s findings have important policy considerations.
Nick Drydakis says that governments must acknowledge that the potential impact of recessions on people’s health depends on the extent to which people are protected from vulnerability: “Welfare policies, such as labor market programs, debt relief programs, and access to health and mental health services, should thus play a significant role as a mediator in the relationship between recessions and health.”
Read more articles on the ways recessions affect people and health and well-being.
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