Policy | Health

08 Jul 09

A rapid rise in unemployment can be linked with more heart attacks.

A rapid rise in unemployment can be linked with more heart attacks, suicides and homicides but a drop in the number of road deaths, according to a study published in the Lancet medical journal today.

The study by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shows that a 3 per cent rise in unemployment is associated with a 2.7 per cent rise in heart attacks among men aged between 30 and 44 years old, an increase of 2.4 per cent in homicides and the same rise in suicides in people under the age of 64.

Researchers analysed more than 50 causes of death in 26 European Union countries between 1970 and 2007 (from the World Health Organisation’s Health for All database) and compared the results to unemployment data (from the International Labour Organisation). They also examined the different levels of government social spending during the same period (using data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). They took into account other factors that might affect rising death rates, such as population ageing and the different ways that countries monitor employment rates and causes of death.

The researchers found that if a government spent above £115 (US $190, €135) per person per year in active labour market programmes, a 3 per cent rise in unemployment would not affect suicide rates. According to the latest available data from 2005, the UK government spends about £91 (US $150, €107) per head per year. Researchers estimate that rising unemployment in the UK would result in at least 25 to 320 suicides and across the EU between 300 and 3,800 additional suicides as a direct result of the financial crisis.

Lead author Dr David Stuckler, from the Department of Sociology at Oxford University, said: ‘Financial crisis causes economic hardship for many ordinary people, but it does not have to cost them their lives. Our study suggests that investments in active labour market programmes can both help the economy and prevent rises in deaths.’

Co-author Adam Coutts, also from Oxford University, said: ‘Gordon Brown has outlined an active jobseekers’ programme to target youths who have been unemployed for over 12 months. But what about the ever increasing number of older workers who have suddenly found themselves out of a job? Their health and ultimately their lives could depend on how they cope with being out of work and how quickly they are helped back into work.’

This study draws on a larger range of countries than in other previous studies, which offer mixed results. In Sweden, a previous study showed no effect of financial crises on health, but in Spain and in the US, there were found to be some negative effects and in some cases of improved health. According to this Oxford-led research, the varying levels of government investment in social support programmes and efforts to bolster the labour market can largely explain the mixed picture across the different countries.

Co-author Professor Martin McKee, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: ‘Suicides are just the tip of the iceberg. Rising suicide rates are a sign of many failed suicide attempts and high levels of mental distress among workers and families.

He added: ‘If we look at the different EU countries’ levels of spending per head for getting the jobless back to work, the UK spends among the least, at 0.5% of GDP.’

There is some better news about the effect of the recession on our health. According to the study, a 3 per cent rise in unemployment leads to a 4.2 per cent drop in road deaths in European Union countries, including the UK. Researchers say this drop is due to an increased number of people choosing to walk or take public transport rather than drive themselves, which reduces the risk of injury and death.