Income Trajectories Prior to Alcohol-Attributable Death in Finland and Sweden

Lasse Tarkiainen , University of Helsinki
Johan Rehnberg, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University
Pekka Martikainen, University of Helsinki
Johan Fritzell, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University

Mortality from alcohol-attributable causes is patterned by income. It is possible that income falls prior to death, and that this explains the inverse association between income and mortality. This retrospective cohort study analyzed the income trajectories 17-19 years prior to death using individual-level longitudinal register data from Finland and Sweden in order to determine: 1) whether income levels and trajectories differ between those who die of alcohol-attributable causes, survivors with similar sociodemographic characteristics, all survivors and those dying of other causes; 2) whether the income trajectories of these groups differ by education; 3) are there differences in income trajectories between Finland and Sweden. Results show substantial income decline before alcohol-attributable death but not from other causes. Highly educated individuals were able to buffer the negative effects of extensive alcohol use on income level. Income trajectories are similar in Finland and Sweden despite marked differences in the level of alcohol-attributable mortality.

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 Presented in Session 65. Income, Wealth, and Health