Eibner, Christine, and William N. Evans. 2005. “Relative Deprivation, Poor Health Habits, and Mortality.” Journal of Human Resources 40(3): 591-620.

Using individual-level data on males from the 1988–91 National Health Interview Survey Multiple Cause of Death Files, we examine the impact of relative deprivation within a reference group on health. We define reference groups using combinations of state, race, education, and age. High relative deprivation in the sense of Yitzhaki is associated with a higher probability of death, worse self-reported health, higher self-reported limitations, higher body mass index, and an increased probability of taking health risks.

Christine Eibner is an Associate Economist at RAND. William N. Evans is a professor of economics at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a research associate at both the Maryland Population Research Center and the National Bureau of Economic Research. The authors thank Angus Deaton, Jonah Gelbach, Judith Hellerstein, Sandy Jencks, Larry Katz, Edward Montgomery, Seth Sanders, and Robert Schwab for a number of helpful comments. The authors also thank Negasi Beyene, Bob Krasowski, and the staff of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Research Data for assistance with the geocoded files from National Health Interview Survey. The geocoded data from the National Health Interview Survey can be obtained from the NCHS Research Data Center. The rest of the data for this article are available from October 2005 through September 2008 from Christine Eibner, RAND Corporation, 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA, 22202.