Abstract
Wealthier individuals engage in healthier behavior. This paper seeks to explain this phenomenon by exploiting both inheritances and lottery winnings to test a theory of health behavior. We distinguish between the direct monetary cost and the indirect health cost (value of health lost) of unhealthy consumption. The health cost increases with wealth and the degree of unhealthiness, leading wealthier individuals to consume more healthy and moderately unhealthy, but fewer severely unhealthy goods. The empirical evidence presented suggests that differences in health costs may indeed partially explain behavioral differences, and ultimately health outcomes, between wealth groups.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 197-220 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | European Economic Review |
| Volume | 72 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 30 Oct 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Health behavior
- Health capital
- Unhealthy consumption
- Wealth
Cite this
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Wealth and health behavior : Testing the concept of a health cost. / van Kippersluis, Hans; Galama, Titus J.
In: European Economic Review, Vol. 72, 30.10.2014, p. 197-220.Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Wealth and health behavior
T2 - Testing the concept of a health cost
AU - van Kippersluis, Hans
AU - Galama, Titus J.
PY - 2014/10/30
Y1 - 2014/10/30
N2 - Wealthier individuals engage in healthier behavior. This paper seeks to explain this phenomenon by exploiting both inheritances and lottery winnings to test a theory of health behavior. We distinguish between the direct monetary cost and the indirect health cost (value of health lost) of unhealthy consumption. The health cost increases with wealth and the degree of unhealthiness, leading wealthier individuals to consume more healthy and moderately unhealthy, but fewer severely unhealthy goods. The empirical evidence presented suggests that differences in health costs may indeed partially explain behavioral differences, and ultimately health outcomes, between wealth groups.
AB - Wealthier individuals engage in healthier behavior. This paper seeks to explain this phenomenon by exploiting both inheritances and lottery winnings to test a theory of health behavior. We distinguish between the direct monetary cost and the indirect health cost (value of health lost) of unhealthy consumption. The health cost increases with wealth and the degree of unhealthiness, leading wealthier individuals to consume more healthy and moderately unhealthy, but fewer severely unhealthy goods. The empirical evidence presented suggests that differences in health costs may indeed partially explain behavioral differences, and ultimately health outcomes, between wealth groups.
KW - Health behavior
KW - Health capital
KW - Unhealthy consumption
KW - Wealth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84911059228&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84911059228&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2014.10.003
DO - 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2014.10.003
M3 - Article
VL - 72
SP - 197
EP - 220
JO - European Economic Review
JF - European Economic Review
SN - 0014-2921
ER -