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The effect of local unemployment on health: A longitudinal study of Irish mothers 2001-2011

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  • Briody, Jonathan
  • Doyle, Orla
  • Kelleher, Cecily

Abstract

The relationship between economic conditions and health is mixed, with some evidence from the most recent financial crisis finding a positive effect of periods of unemployment on heath behaviours. This study uses longitudinal data spanning the periods before, during and after the Irish crisis of 2007, to test the impact of economic expansion and contraction on mothers physical and mental health and health behaviours. Three waves of data from the Irish Lifeways Cohort Study for the period 2001–2011, and local area employment rates from the Irish Census, are used to capture the impact of a period of increased unemployment on health before, during and after the Irish recession, independent of individual employment status. The results from fixed effect linear probability models demonstrate that an additional unit of local area unemployment increases the probability of reporting poor self-rated health by 1–1.8 percentage points and of reporting poor mental well-being by 1.4 and 2.7 percentage points depending on the instrument used. There are decreases in the probability of consuming cigarettes by 3.3 percentage points, self-describing as a regular smoker by 2.9 percentage points and obesity by 0.9 percentage points. The probability of engaging in at least 20 minutes of strenuous or moderate exercise per week declines by 7.8 and 8.7 percentage points respectively, while the probability of engaging in at least 20 minutes of mild exercise rises by 10 percentage points. These results are largely consistent with the US literature, which is predominantly based on working men, thus demonstrating the universal impact of economic vulnerability on health.

Suggested Citation

  • Briody, Jonathan & Doyle, Orla & Kelleher, Cecily, 2020. "The effect of local unemployment on health: A longitudinal study of Irish mothers 2001-2011," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:37:y:2020:i:c:s1570677x19302400
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100859
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    Cited by:

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    2. Liu, Chang & Eriksson, Tor & Yi, Fujin, 2021. "Offspring migration and nutritional status of left-behind older adults in rural China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
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    4. Zhang, Kezhong & He, Fan & Ma, Yuanyuan, 2021. "Sex ratios and mental health: Evidence from China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    5. Jonathan Briody, 2020. "Parental Unemployment During the Great Recession and Childhood Adiposity," Working Papers 202011, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    6. Hiilamo, Aapo & Hiilamo, Heikki & Ristikari, Tiina & Virtanen, Petri, 2021. "Impact of the Great Recession on mental health, substance use and violence in families with children: A systematic review of the evidence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    7. Maria Alessandra Antonelli & Giorgia Marini, 2023. "Good health with good institutions. An empirical analysis for italian regions," Public Finance Research Papers 61, Istituto di Economia e Finanza, DSGE, Sapienza University of Rome.
    8. Briody, Jonathan, 2021. "Parental unemployment during the Great Recession and childhood adiposity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Lifestyles; Health; Macroeconomic conditions; Panel data; Unemployment; The Great recession;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General

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