Suchergebnisse

Since official U.S. poverty measures are based solely on income, the amount of wealth held by a family is immaterial in determining their poverty status. This research expands the poverty definition to encompass a family's total financial resources. While most income-poor families have little or no wealth, approximately one-third have significant holdings. Using total financial resources both lowers average U.S. poverty rates over selected years from 15.2% of all families to a range between 8.8% and 11.3% and provides a measurement tool for tracking the effects of government wealth-building programs on families under the poverty line.

ObjectiveWe investigate the association between adult asthma and wealth, testing whether the disease impairs wealth accumulation (social selection model) or if wealth protects against asthma (social causation model).MethodsWe use the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (n = 7,644) and linear and logistic regressions to estimate the association between wealth and asthma. Changes in relative wealth following an asthma diagnosis and asthma status by increases in wealth through inheritance provide evidence on the causal direction.ResultsAsthma, particularly severe asthma, is associated with lower wealth. Wealth ranking does not change after a diagnosis of asthma, but inheriting a substantial sum is associated with a lower risk of severe asthma.ConclusionWealth appears to protect against severe asthma, supporting the social causation model of disease.

ObjectivesWe test whether the phrase "Freshman 15" accurately describes weight change among first‐year college students. We also analyze freshmen's weight change during and after college.MethodsThis is the first investigation of the "Freshman 15" to use a nationally representative random sample, the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). The data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, regression analysis, simulations, and longitudinal analysis.ResultsFreshmen gain between 2.5 to 3.5 pounds, on average, over the course of their first year of college. Compared to same‐age noncollege attendees, the typical freshman gains only an additional half‐pound. Instead of a spike in weight during the freshman year, college‐educated individuals exhibit moderate but steady weight gain during and after college.ConclusionAnti‐obesity efforts directed specifically at college freshmen will likely have little impact on obesity prevalence among young adults.