Economic insecurity in older age can reduce the ability to cope with a costly disease and exacerbate racial health disparities. This study asks: How do different sources of financial resources associate with the control of type-2 diabetes, a common chronic condition in older age? We construct a new panel dataset that links electronic health records to employment and credit data for a sample of older adults in [name of state] from 2018-2022. We identify how wage earnings, access to credit, and debt are related to diabetes control and disability-related complications. We examine heterogeneity by race, gender, and income. The risk ratio for a 100-unit increase in credit score is 0.754 for being in the severely uncontrolled vs the controlled diabetes category, indicating a substantial decrease in risk for being in the severely uncontrolled diabetes group, pointing to the association between financial resources and diabetes control. Our high frequency data across diverse resource streams offers unique insights into early warning signs of economic insecurity in older age that contribute to racial disparities.
This study investigates how individual and regional factors influence health satisfaction in South Korea, focusing on disparities in healthcare access and economic resources across regions. Using multilevel analysis, it examines the combined effects of individual sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., subjective health status, chronic illness, disability) and regional variables (e.g., employment rate, fiscal independence, healthcare infrastructure) on health satisfaction. Data were sourced from the 2021 Koreans’ Happiness Survey and regional statistics from Statistics Korea, covering a representative sample of 17,357 individuals and 225 municipalities. Results reveal significant variation in health satisfaction across regions, with individual factors like education and income positively associated with satisfaction, while perceived stress and chronic illness have negative impacts. Regional healthcare resources and economic resilience were found to interact with subjective health, further influencing satisfaction levels. This study highlights the importance of regional economic support and healthcare accessibility in fostering health equity, offering policy insights for addressing health disparities. Through a comprehensive multilevel model, the research provides evidence of the resilience-building role of both individual and regional factors in shaping equitable health outcomes.
This study aims to explore the relationship between health and household wealth in couples using data from the 1996-2020 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Employing a hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) approach, it examines the economic influences of health issues on household wealth, differentiating between the effects of husbands' and wives' health conditions. The results indicate that wives’ chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, and stroke, are linked to significant reductions in household wealth, whereas similar health issues in husbands have a minimal effect. However, when health problems limit work capacity, the husband’s diseases tend to negatively impact household wealth more than the wife’s. These findings highlight the gender-specific effects of health on wealth and suggest that policymakers should consider these differences when designing policies aimed at health and financial security.
This study examines the role of non-labor income relative to net worth in shaping retirement satisfaction. Specifically, the authors create a ratio comparing income from annuities, pensions, and social security to net worth to observe the role of non-labor income relativity and its contribution to financial stability and quality of life during retirement. Further, we attempt to answer if consistent non-labor income can reduce financial anxiety that may be associated with market fluctuations or economic downturns, which typically affect net worth. In this regard, retirees may feel more secure when they have guaranteed income sources that are independent of market outcomes, which directly impact overall well-being and life satisfaction. Plainly, the objective of this study is to test if non-labor income relative to net worth is associated with retirement satisfaction.
Evidence on child support – or court-ordered payments from the noncustodial parent to the custodial parent – shows receiving payments improves child welfare. Yet, many eligible families do not establish paternity, a prerequisite to child support, nor do they obtain an award. These families are also disproportionately never-married, low income, and have less education. Compounding their financial vulnerability, these same families have also been shown to become disconnected from the labor force and means-tested government support during periods of financial hardship. To measure how these financially precarious families respond to unexpected hardship, I combine the first five years of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Survey with restricted medical records (1998-2000). Then, I construct a sample of mothers who are child-support-eligible at the time of their child’s birth and exploit a medically determined, severe, and random health shock that effects the child. Importantly this health shock is medically determined to be exogenous to the mother’s behavior e.g., smoking, and has been shown to induce financial hardship. Exploiting this random variation, I measure the likelihood of the custodial parent establishing paternity or obtaining a child support order one year later. I find that in response to increased financial hardship, mothers are 9 percentage points more likely to establish paternity, but I find no significant relationship to establishing child support. These findings speak directly to the significant challenges this population faces and the need for program intervention directly targeted to reducing barriers for these parents. Broadly, they also highlight the additional barriers to financial barriers this group faces which is particularly concerningly in light of increasing precarity and a patch work safety net.
Research shows that consumers enjoy shopping and consuming with others but also that the enjoyment of companionship is diminished during consumption as compared to non-consumption activities. All else being equal, as commercial locations substitute for public spaces (parks, boulevards) as loci for social interaction in large cities, collective well-being should be expected to diminish. A better understanding of what drives enjoyment of companionship during consumption at retail locations, as well as the individual differences in responses to those drivers, may point to avenues to further collective well-being in urban areas. This research explores the role of fundamental social motives, specifically affiliation need, need for independence and fear of exclusion (Neel et al. 2016) in predicting the enjoyment of consumption experiences. As they drive social behavior, we expect social motives to predict enjoyment of consumption experiences.
This research aims to identify consumer segments in the United States with varying attitudes, beliefs, and preferences toward second-hand fashion, leveraging these insights for targeted nudging interventions. The study, using primary data collected via a Qualtrics survey, segments participants based on psychographic variables while considering social norms. The results can inform marketing strategies, policymaking, and fashion industry practices to promote sustainable consumption, enhance consumer economic well-being, and reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion. This research seeks to advance the economic well-being of consumers and families by promoting sustainable and mindful consumption practices.
The purpose of this study, which is part of a larger study, is to identify behavior change stages of consumer recycling behavior based on the transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) and examine differences of psychological and cognitive factors between these change stages with national data in the U.S.. In this study we answer following research questions:_x000D_
What are the statuses of consumer recycling behavior by behavior change stages;_x000D_ What psychological and cognitive factors associated with consumer recycling behavior differ by behavior change stages?_x000D_
The results show that most consumers (76.5%) engaged in recycling behavior at various behavior change stages, while a minority of consumers (23.5%) are still not engaging in recycling behavior. Among them, 12.8% never consider recycling._x000D_ One-way ANOVA results show that consumer change processes that can be considered change strategies used by consumers in behavior change are different from earlier stages to later stages. Behavioral skill is positively associated with behavior change stages. In addition, perceived cons of recycling behavior are negatively and perceived pros are positively associated with behavior change stages. Results also suggest that both objective and subjective recycling knowledge may encourage consumer recycling behavior.
