Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities
Geographical residence predicts health and well-being. Population health, life expectancy, and mortality are partially the outcome of the characteristics of one’s social policy context. Yet how do such links occur? We extend focus from health outcomes to health behaviors and from a policy context to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Socius |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231241285061 |
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| author | Jane S. VanHeuvelen Yi Wang Tom VanHeuvelen |
| author_facet | Jane S. VanHeuvelen Yi Wang Tom VanHeuvelen |
| author_sort | Jane S. VanHeuvelen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Geographical residence predicts health and well-being. Population health, life expectancy, and mortality are partially the outcome of the characteristics of one’s social policy context. Yet how do such links occur? We extend focus from health outcomes to health behaviors and from a policy context to a broader political context. Using 20 waves of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System between 1993 and 2021 in combination with the Correlates of State Policy Project, we find that right-leaning political contexts—both policies and public attitudes—are predictive of riskier health behaviors. Counterfactual simulations show that these associations are due less to states becoming more different over time but rather, with political contexts increasing in their predictiveness over time. Results from this study broaden the pathways linking local politics to health and identify a key antecedent, health behaviors, that helps explain political context’s influence on health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8784df47fe99432ca98ea70d50b435a2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2378-0231 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Socius |
| spelling | doaj-art-8784df47fe99432ca98ea70d50b435a22025-08-20T02:15:12ZengSAGE PublishingSocius2378-02312024-10-011010.1177/23780231241285061Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior DisparitiesJane S. VanHeuvelen0Yi Wang1Tom VanHeuvelen2University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USAPortland State University, OR, USAUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USAGeographical residence predicts health and well-being. Population health, life expectancy, and mortality are partially the outcome of the characteristics of one’s social policy context. Yet how do such links occur? We extend focus from health outcomes to health behaviors and from a policy context to a broader political context. Using 20 waves of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System between 1993 and 2021 in combination with the Correlates of State Policy Project, we find that right-leaning political contexts—both policies and public attitudes—are predictive of riskier health behaviors. Counterfactual simulations show that these associations are due less to states becoming more different over time but rather, with political contexts increasing in their predictiveness over time. Results from this study broaden the pathways linking local politics to health and identify a key antecedent, health behaviors, that helps explain political context’s influence on health.https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231241285061 |
| spellingShingle | Jane S. VanHeuvelen Yi Wang Tom VanHeuvelen Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities Socius |
| title | Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities |
| title_full | Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities |
| title_fullStr | Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities |
| title_short | Political Context and State-Level Health Behavior Disparities |
| title_sort | political context and state level health behavior disparities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231241285061 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT janesvanheuvelen politicalcontextandstatelevelhealthbehaviordisparities AT yiwang politicalcontextandstatelevelhealthbehaviordisparities AT tomvanheuvelen politicalcontextandstatelevelhealthbehaviordisparities |