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Unemployment, Health Care spending affect
Mortality
FORT WORTH, Texas, March 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- At the Health Industries Council meeting
on March 11, in Irving, Harvey Brenner,
Ph.D. and 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 that mortality is directly
related to the economy. Specifically,
unemployment and reduced spending on health
care have a direct effect on the country's
mortality rate.
"We have seen this correlation in
cardiovascular disease," Brenner related.
"But
these are the first findings that show a
direct correlation between reduced health
care expenditures and reduced labor force
participation on increases in mortality."
Since World War II, research literature has
shown that economic development is good for
health in developing countries.
However,
it isn't clear if this same economic
development in already developed countries
has the same benefits.
In fact, Brenner's research shows that
unemployment is a much more important factor
in health and well-being than economic
development.
"Interestingly, this 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."
When a worker becomes unemployed, he or she
often loses health insurance, suffers stress
and adopts unhealthy behavior as a result.
They may delay preventive health care
because of the cost or loss of health
insurance coverage.
The stress of being unemployed causes both
physical and psychological issues that may
eventually erupt into major medical
conditions that easily could have been
treated earlier.
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.
University of North Texas Health Science
Center
The University of North Texas Health Science
Center is composed of the Texas College of
Osteopathic Medicine, the Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public
Health, and the School of Health
Professions.
The Health Science Center conducts
leading-edge research on select health
issues, including vision, aging, cancer,
heart disease, physical medicine and public
health.
This year, the Texas College of Osteopathic
Medicine was named a top 50 medical school
in primary care by U.S. News and World
Report for the seventh consecutive year.
The institution contributes almost $600
million to Tarrant County and Texas
economies annually. For more information, go
to www.hsc.unt.edu.
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