Healthy Minds in Healthy Bodies; An International Comparison of Education-Related Inequality in Physical Health Among Older Adults

MEA Discussion Paper No. 141-07

Scottish Journal of Political Economy, May 22, 2009

29 Pages Posted: 22 Oct 2009

See all articles by Hendrik Jürges

Hendrik Jürges

University of Mannheim - Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA); German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin)

Date Written: June 2007

Abstract

Education is arguably the most important correlate of health We study education-related inequality in the physical of older adults across 11 European countries and the US. Combining data from HRS 2002, ELSA 2002 and SHARE 2004, our results suggest that education is strongly correlated with health both across and within countries. Education-related inequality in health is larger in Mediterranean and Anglo-Saxon countries than in western European countries. We find no evidence of a trade-off between health levels and equity in health. Education-related inequality in health hardly driven by income or wealth effects (except in the US), and differences in health behaviors (smoking) by education level contribute surprisingly little health differences across education groups.

Keywords: socioeconomic inequality in health, concentration index, cross-country analysis, decomposition

JEL Classification: I12, I21, J14

Suggested Citation

Jürges, Hendrik, Healthy Minds in Healthy Bodies; An International Comparison of Education-Related Inequality in Physical Health Among Older Adults (June 2007). MEA Discussion Paper No. 141-07, Scottish Journal of Political Economy, May 22, 2009 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1445301 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1445301

Hendrik Jürges (Contact Author)

University of Mannheim - Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA) ( email )

D-68131 Mannheim
Germany

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) ( email )

Mohrenstraße 58
Berlin, 10117
Germany