title: Lifecycle effects of a recession on health behaviors: Boom, bust, and recovery in Iceland.
abstract: This study uses individual-level longitudinal data from Iceland, a country that experienced a severe economic crisis in 2008 and substantial recovery by 2012, to investigate the extent to which the effects of a recession on health behaviors are lingering or short-lived and to explore trajectories in health behaviors from pre-crisis boom, to crisis, to recovery. Health-compromising behaviors (smoking, heavy drinking, sugared soft drinks, sweets, fast food, and tanning) declined during the crisis, and all but sweets continued to decline during the recovery. Health-promoting behaviors (consumption of fruit, fish oil, and vitamins/minerals and getting recommended sleep) followed more idiosyncratic paths. Overall, most behaviors reverted back to their pre-crisis levels or trends during the recovery, and these short-term deviations in trajectories were probably too short-lived in this recession to have major impacts on health or mortality. A notable exception is for binge drinking, which declined by 10% during the 2 crisis years, continued to fall (at a slower rate of 8%) during the 3 recovery years, and did not revert back to the upward pre-crisis trend during our observation period. These lingering effects, which directionally run counter to the pre-crisis upward trend in consumption and do not reflect price increases during the recovery period, suggest that alcohol is a potential pathway by which recessions improve health and/or reduce mortality.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Economics, University of Iceland, Oddi v/Sturlugötu, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland. Electronic address: ta@hi.is.
authors.forename: Tinna Laufey
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Ásgeirsdóttir
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United States. Electronic address: corman@rider.edu.
authors.forename: Hope
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Corman
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, Rider University and National Bureau of Economic Research, 2083 Lawrenceville Rd., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, United States. Electronic address: knoonan@rider.edu.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noonan
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pediatrics, Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Child Health Institute of New Jersey, 89 French St., Room 4269, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, United States. Electronic address: nancy.reichman@rwjms.rutgers.edu.
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Reichman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics; D057217:Economic Development / Q000639:trends*; D057172:Economic Recession; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D055108:Sunbathing / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose
keywords: Economic crisis; Economic recovery; Health behaviors; Iceland; Recessions