Does a slump really make you thinner? Finnish micro-level evidence 1978-2002.
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.
Böckerman
Petri
P
Labour Institute for Economic Research, Helsinki, Finland. petri.bockerman@labour.fi
Johansson
Edvard
E
Helakorpi
Satu
S
Prättälä
Ritva
R
Vartiainen
Erkki
E
Uutela
Antti
A
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