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-----Original Message----- From: Equity, Health & Human Development [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) Income, aging, health and wellbeing around the world: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll Angus Deaton - Center for Health and Wellbeing Research Program in Development Studies Princeton University and National Bureau of Economic Research July 2007 Available online as PDF [46p.] at: <http://www.princeton.edu/~rpds/downloads/Deaton_Aging_and_wellbeing_around_the_world_All_July_07.pdf> http://www.princeton.edu/~rpds/downloads/Deaton_Aging_and_wellbeing_around_the_world_All_July_07.pdf "....During 2006, the Gallup Organization collected World Poll data using an identical questionnaire from national samples of adults from 132 countries. This paper presents an analysis of the data on life-satisfaction (happiness) and health satisfaction and their relationships with national income, age, and life-expectancy. Average happiness is strongly related to per capita national income, with each doubling of income associated with a near one point increase in life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Unlike previous findings, the effect holds across the range of international incomes; if anything, it is slightly stronger among rich countries. Conditional on national income, recent economic growth makes people unhappier, improvements in life-expectancy make them happier, but life-expectancy itself has little effect. Age has an internationally inconsistent relationship with happiness. National income moderates the effects of aging on self-reported health, and the decline in health satisfaction and rise in disability with age are much stronger in poor countries than in rich countries. In line with earlier findings, people in much of Eastern Europe and in the countries of the former Soviet Union are particularly unhappy and particularly dissatisfied with their health, and older people in those countries are much less satisfied with their lives and their health than are younger people. HIV prevalence in Africa has little effect on Africans' life or health satisfaction; the fraction of Kenyans who are satisfied with their personal health is the same as the fraction of Britons and higher than the fraction of Americans. The US ranks 81st out of 115 countries in the fraction of people who have confidence in their healthcare system, and has a lower score than countries such as India, Iran, Malawi, or Sierra Leone. While the strong relationship between life-satisfaction and income gives some credence to the measures, the lack of such correlations for health shows that happiness (or self-reported health) measures cannot be regarded as useful summary indicators of human welfare in international comparisons......." * * * * This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ IKM Area] "Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members". --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAHO/WHO Website: <https://webmail.wdc.paho.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://webmail.wdc.paho.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.paho.org/> http://www.paho.org/ EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: <https://webmail.wdc.paho.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=https://webmail.wdc.paho.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html> http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to [log in to unmask], and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you. Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/secretariat/legal/disclaimer.htm