Fluctuating income can be stressful, but new research says it could actually affect your heart health.
Since 1990, the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) has been tracking the health of people in four U.S. cities. At the start of the study, the participants were between 23 and 35 years old and lived in Chicago, Minneapolis, Oakland or Birmingham.
The effects of income changes on heart health
Using the data from the CARDIA study, researchers identified a link between income fluctuations and the risk of cardiovascular events (as well as death). Specifically, the team looked for an income decrease of at least 25 percent since the last assessment.
Factoring for sociodemographic background and pre-existing heart conditions, the researchers identified 106 cardiovascular events and 164 deaths. The determined a strong correlation between a drop in personal income and either death or the development of cardiovascular disease in the decade following the decrease in income.
The greater the income drop, the greater the risk of heart issues or death. In fact, the highest levels of income change had nearly double the risk of death and more than double the risk of heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
Who experiences the greatest drops in income?
The study found that certain groups were more likely to experience drastic drops in income. These groups included African Americans, women, the unemployed, single people, those who smoke, those with depression and people with less than a high school education.
“[Income volatility] presents a growing public health threat,” says Tali Elfassy, Ph.D., of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, who led the study, “especially when federal programs, which are meant to absorb unpredictable income changes are undergoing continuous changes and mostly cuts.”
Although the researchers are certain what links income changes to elevated risk of heart problems, death or both, they theorize that it could be that when income decreases, people sometimes drink alcohol in excess, exercise less, experience increased stress and develop high blood pressure.
