The effect of metropolitan-area mortgage delinquency on health behaviors, access to health services, and self-rated health in the United States, 2003-2010.
The recent housing crisis offers the opportunity to understand the effects of unique indicators of macroeconomic conditions on health. We linked data on the proportion of mortgage borrowers per US metropolitan-area who were at least 90 days delinquent on their payments with individual-level outcomes from a representative sample of 1,021,341 adults surveyed through the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) between 2003 and 2010. We estimated the effects of metropolitan-area mortgage delinquency on individual health behaviors, medical coverage, and health status, as well as whether effects varied by race/ethnicity. Results showed that increases in the metropolitan-area delinquency rate resulted in decreases in heavy alcohol consumption and increases in exercise and health insurance coverage. However, the delinquency rate was also associated with increases in smoking and obesity in some population groups, suggesting the housing crisis may have induced stress-related behavioral change. Overall, the effects of metropolitan-area mortgage delinquency on population health were relatively modest.
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health & Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, Charles Meredith House Room B8, 1030 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada. Electronic address: thomas.charters@mcgill.ca.
Thomas J
TJ
Charters
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Purvis Hall 34B, 1020 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada. Electronic address: sam.harper@mcgill.ca.
Sam
S
Harper
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Purvis Hall 36C, 1020 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A2, Canada; Department of Economics, McGill University, Leacock 418, 855 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC H3A 2T7, Canada. Electronic address: erin.strumpf@mcgill.ca.
Erin C
EC
Strumpf
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Kresge Building 716, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115-6096, USA. Electronic address: svsubram@hsph.harvard.edu.
S V
SV
Subramanian
Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard School of Public Health, 9 Bow Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Electronic address: marcaya@mit.edu.
Mariana
M
Arcaya
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health & Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University, Charles Meredith House Room 102, 1030 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada. Electronic address: arijit.nandi@mcgill.ca.
Arijit
A
Nandi
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D016361:Bankruptcy; D057172:Economic Recession / Q000639:trends*; D004467:Economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006798:Housing / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D012907:Smoking / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000208:ethnology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Health investments; Health status; Healthcare utilization; Macroeconomic conditions; Mortgages; United States