title: Does a slump really make you thinner? Finnish micro-level evidence 1978-2002.
abstract: This paper explores the relationship between height-adjusted weight and economic conditions in Finland, using individual microdata for the period 1978-2002. If anything, the results reveal that an improvement in regional economic conditions measured by the employment rate produces a decrease in BMI, other things being equal. The Finnish evidence presented does not support the conclusions reported for the USA, according to which temporary economic slowdowns are good for health. In contrast, at least BMI seems to increase during slumps.
authors.affiliation: Labour Institute for Economic Research, Helsinki, Finland. petri.bockerman@labour.fi
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Böckerman
authors.forename: Edvard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: Satu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Helakorpi
authors.forename: Ritva
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prättälä
authors.forename: Erkki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vartiainen
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uutela
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric