Aims: This paper explores the relationship between income and health among adults in Sweden. An analysis was made as to what extent the association differs when one studies individual earnings and equivalent disposable income, as well as gender differentials. Further, a study was undertaken to investigate how, and by what magnitude, the income - health relationship changes when one controls for other structural factors, such as education and class. Finally the functional form of the relationship was scrutinized, because of its obvious policy impact. Methods: Data came from the 1996-97 Swedish Living Condition Surveys, which include individuals aged 25 - 64 (n=7,201). Logistic regression was used, including various polynomial terms of the income variable. Results: The results show that both earnings and disposable household income are strongly related to health, a finding that holds for both women and men. The strength of the association becomes somewhat weaker when one controls for other structural factors, but in the final model the association is in fact about the same as the bivariate association, owing to the impact of age. Moreover, a curvilinear association was revealed by the authors' analyses. Conclusions: A clear association was found between income and health, also when other structural variables are controlled for. This indicates that income, as such, is of great importance for the risk of illness. The shape of the association between income and health is consistent with earlier debates concerning the relation between income distribution and population health indicators, and, as such, indicates that income-equalizing policies may have an impact on health.

Objectives To enhance the understanding of the current increase in life expectancy and decreasing gender gap in life expectancy. Methods We obtained data on underlying cause of death from the National Board of Health and Welfare in Sweden for 1997 and 2014 and used Arriaga’s method to decompose life expectancy by age group and 24 causes of death. Results Decreased mortality from ischemic heart disease had the largest impact on the increased life expectancy of both men and women and on the decreased gender gap in life expectancy. Increased mortality from Alzheimer’s disease negatively influenced overall life expectancy, but because of higher female mortality, it also served to decrease the gender gap in life expectancy. The impact of other causes of death, particularly smoking-related causes, decreased in men but increased in women, also reducing the gap in life expectancy. Conclusions This study shows that a focus on overall changes in life expectancies may hide important differences in age- and cause-specific mortality. It also emphasizes the importance of addressing modifiable lifestyle factors to reduce avoidable mortality.