Civil Rights, Firearm Safety, and Environmental Protection Policies Predict Better Health among U.S. Midlife Adults

Author(s)/Creator(s)

Blakelee R. Kemp, University of NebraskaFollow
Jacob M. Grumbach, University of WashingtonFollow
Jennifer Karas Montez, Syracuse UniversityFollow

Description/Abstract

Americans suffer worse health and shorter lives than do people in most other high-income countries. The poor health and early death of many Americans are pronounced in certain states. One explanation may be the dramatic changes in the policy environment in recent decades, particularly the polarization in state policies. This research brief examines the association between several state policies and self-rated health among adults ages 45-64 from 1993 to 2016. Findings show that more liberal versions of certain state policies, namely civil rights, firearm safety, and environmental protection are associated with better health.

Document Type

Research Brief

Keywords

Population Health, Civil Rights, Environmental Protection Policies, Firearm Safety

Disciplines

Politics and Social Change | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy | Social Policy | Sociology

Date

5-10-2022

For More Information

Access all Lerner Center research briefs here.

Language

English

Funder(s)

National Institute on Aging and Carnegie Corporation of New York

Funding ID

NIA grant # R01AG055481 and R24AG045061, # G-F-18-56197

Recommended Citation

Kemp, Blakelee R.; Grumbach, Jacob M.; and Karas Montez, Jennifer, "Civil Rights, Firearm Safety, and Environmental Protection Policies Predict Better Health among U.S. Midlife Adults" (2022). Population Health Research Brief Series. 180.
https://surface.syr.edu/lerner/180

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.