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Income Inequality, Illiteracy Rate, and Life Expectancy in Brazil

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  • Messias, E.

Abstract

Objectives. The link between income disparities and health has been studied mostly in developed nations. This study assesses the relationship between income disparities and life expectancy in Brazil and measures the impact of illiteracy rates on the association. Methods. The units of analysis (n=27) are all the Brazilian states and the federal capital. Simple and multiple linear regressions were performed to measure the association between income disparity, measured by the Gini coefficient, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, and illiteracy rate. Data came from publicly available sources at the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Results. Income disparities and illiteracy rates were negatively associated with life expectancy in Brazil. GDP per capita was positively associated with life expectancy. The inclusion of illiteracy rates in the regression model removed the effect of income disparities. Conclusions. Illiteracy rate is strongly associated with life expectancy in Brazil. This finding is in accord with reports from the United States and has implications for health policy and planning for both developed and developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Messias, E., 2003. "Income Inequality, Illiteracy Rate, and Life Expectancy in Brazil," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 93(8), pages 1294-1296.
    • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:2003:93:8:1294-1296_9
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    Cited by:

    1. Chi-Chuan Lee & Chien-Chiang Lee, 2018. "The Impact of Country Risk on Income Inequality: A Multilevel Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 136(1), pages 139-162, February.
    2. Celeste, Roger Keller & Nadanovsky, Paulo & Ponce de Leon, Antonio & Fritzell, Johan, 2009. "The individual and contextual pathways between oral health and income inequality in Brazilian adolescents and adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(10), pages 1468-1475, November.
    3. Hao Yang & Shaobin Wang & Zhoupeng Ren & Haimeng Liu & Yun Tong & Na Wang, 2022. "Life Expectancy, Air Pollution, and Socioeconomic Factors: A Multivariate Time-Series Analysis of Beijing City, China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 979-994, August.
    4. Md Samsul Alam & Md Shahidul Islam & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad & Shazia Bilal, 2021. "Rapid rise of life expectancy in Bangladesh: Does financial development matter?," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 4918-4931, October.
    5. Elisenda Rentería & Cassio M. Turra, 2009. "Measuring educational differences in mortality among women living in highly unequal societies with defective data: the case of Brazil," Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG td348, Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais.
    6. Alves, Luiz G.A. & Andrade, José S. & Hanley, Quentin S. & Ribeiro, Haroldo V., 2019. "The hidden traits of endemic illiteracy in cities," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 515(C), pages 566-574.
    7. Seemab Gillani & Muhammad Nouman Shafiq & Tusawar Iftikhar Ahmad, 2019. "Military Expenditures and Health Outcomes: A Global Perspective," iRASD Journal of Economics, International Research Alliance for Sustainable Development (iRASD), vol. 1(1), pages 1-20, June.
    8. -, 2010. "Population and health in Latin America and the Caribbean: outstanding matters, new challenges," Libros y Documentos Institucionales, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 2946 edited by Eclac.
    9. Flavia Cristina Drumond Andrade & Jeenal Deepak Mehta, 2018. "Increasing educational inequalities in self-rated health in Brazil, 1998-2013," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-13, April.
    10. Ruhai Bai & Junxiang Wei & Ruopeng An & Yan Li & Laura Collett & Shaonong Dang & Wanyue Dong & Duolao Wang & Zeping Fang & Yaling Zhao & Youfa Wang, 2018. "Trends in Life Expectancy and Its Association with Economic Factors in the Belt and Road Countries—Evidence from 2000–2014," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-11, December.
    11. Seemab Gillani & Muhammad Nouman Shafiq & Tusawar Iftikhar Ahmad, 2019. "Military Expenditures and Health Outcomes: A Global Perspective," iRASD Journal of Energy and Environment, International Research Association for Sustainable Development (iRASD), vol. 1(1), pages 1-20, June.
    12. Arnold Barnett, 2020. "All The Same? On a Certain Pattern in Cross‐National Death Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(9), pages 1831-1843, September.
    13. Wilkinson, Richard G & Pickett, Kate E., 2006. "Income inequality and population health: A review and explanation of the evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(7), pages 1768-1784, April.
    14. Sayuri Inuzuka & Paulo Cesar Veiga Jardim & Shafika Abrahams-Gessel & Ludimila Garcia Souza & Ana Carolina Rezende & Naiana Borges Perillo & Samanta Garcia Souza & Ymara Cássia Luciana Araújo & Rogéri, 2018. "Self-rated health status and illiteracy as death predictors in a Brazilian cohort," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(7), pages 1-12, July.
    15. Prempeh Kwadwo Boateng & Frimpong Joseph Magnus & Yeboah Samuel Asuamah, 2024. "The dynamics of financial development, environmental degradation, economic growth and population health in the Economic Community of West African States," Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, Sciendo, vol. 12(2), pages 13-27.
    16. Natalia Vincens & Martin Stafström, 2015. "Income Inequality, Economic Growth and Stroke Mortality in Brazil: Longitudinal and Regional Analysis 2002-2009," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(9), pages 1-12, September.
    17. Stolz, Yvonne & Baten, Jörg & Botelho, Tarcísio, 2011. "Growth effects of 19th century mass migrations: "Fome Zero" for Brazil," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 20, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.
    18. Faisal Abbas & Haroon Sarwar Awan, 2018. "What Determines Health Status of Population in Pakistan?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(1), pages 1-23, August.

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