At today’s Health Strategies Roundtable meeting, Harvey Brenner, PhD, professor of public health and behavioral
sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center’s School of Public Health, announced new findings
that indicate our mortality is directly related to the economy. Specific data shows our national productivity or GDP and labor force participation are major factors in the overall health of our country. They effect life expectancy as well as mortality rates.
“Interestingly, our current economic downturn is
showing how quickly the effects of unemployment and, thus, reduction of health
care expenditures is resulting in mortality,” Brenner said.“In the past, we saw people die within 10
years after their job loss.Now, we are
seeing them die as early as the same year.”
The relating issues to increase mortality are complex, but the bottom line is, preventing and
controlling health issues is more important in a down economy as more and more
people struggle to balance the need for food, shelter and health care.