Association between income distribution and health changes with level of economic development

During the past two decades Taiwan has undergone critical stages of economic transition and become a newly industrialised country. Chiang investigated the changing relation of income inequality to mortality in 21 counties and cities of Taiwan between 1976 and 1995 (p 1162). He found that, contrary to the weak relation of income inequality to mortality in 1976, areas with more equal income distribution were more likely to have a lower mortality in 1995. Especially, in 1995 the effect of income distribution on age specific mortality in children under 5 became highly significant and the effect of absolute income became non-significant. Thus, the Taiwan case supports the proposition that relative income becomes more important than absolute income in determining population health in developed countries.

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Economic transition and changing relation between income inequality and mortality in Taiwan: regression analysis

Tung-liang Chiang
BMJ 1999 319: 1162-1165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]