What is the lag time between income inequality and health status?

Abstract

We used data for 213 695 people aged 15 years and older sampled by the 1995 and 1997 Current Population Survey (CPS) in the United States.3 Two reasons dictated using just 1995 and 1997 data. Firstly, the CPS has only collected self rated health data since 1995. Secondly, each CPS respondent stays in the CPS sample for two consecutive years—additionally including 1996 and 1998 data would only lead to double counting the same people. The individual level covariates were sex, age, race, and equivalised household income. Equivalisation of household income aims to adjust for the number of people in each household, and was achieved by dividing the total household income by the square root of the number of people in that household. Self rated health was dichotomised as fair/poor versus good/very good/excellent.