Epidemiology HC Statistics

Impact of poverty on mortality

A paper by Brady et al. (2023) aims to measure this relationship in the US. They use data from the 1997-2019 Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) data merged with the Cross-National Equivalent File. The data were validated with information from the National Death Index. The authors adjust for self-reported health, demographics, comorbidities and a variety of other factors. They find that:

Current poverty is associated with a greater mortality hazard of 1.42 (95% CI, 1.26-1.60). Cumulative poverty—being always in poverty vs never in poverty in the past 10 years—is associated with a greater mortality hazard of 1.71 (95% CI, 1.45-2.02).

This is a significantly higher mortality risk factor compared to many common comorbidities.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2804032
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2804032