title: Local labor market fluctuations and health: is there a connection and for whom?
abstract: We examine the relationship between local labor market conditions and several measures of health and health behaviors for a sample of working-aged men living in the 58 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. We find evidence of procyclical relationships for weight-related health and mental health for men with low ex ante employment probabilities. Separate estimates suggest worsening labor market conditions lead to weight gains and reduced mental health among African-American men and lower mental health among less-educated males. Among our findings, those related to mental health are most pronounced.
authors.affiliation: University of Chicago, United States. kcharles@uchicago.edu
authors.forename: Kerwin Kofi
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Decicca
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment; D006293:Health Promotion; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D014478:Unemployment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology