This project utilizes data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which has over 20 years worth of data on individuals who were between the ages of 14-22 in 1979, in order to determine the effects of long-term, continuous uninsurance on health status. This study will compare people in rural and urban areas to determine if differences in health insurance and its effect on health status occur between these two populations.

The following hypotheses will be tested:

• Workers with longer periods of uninsurance, in multivariate analyses controlling for income, poverty and status/behavior at the beginning of the time period, will be more likely to be overweight, to smoke, to report experiencing hypertension or diabetes, or to describe their health as "fair" to "poor."
• Effects of uninsurance will be greater in rural than in urban respondents, and greater for minority rural populations than for white rural populations.

Publications

• Effects of Uninsurance During the Preceding 10 Years on Health Status Among Rural Working Age Adults
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 09/2005
  In a population just reaching age 40, continuous health insurance coverage in the preceding 8 to 10 years was not associated with better self-perceived health than interrupted coverage. However, continuous insurance coverage was significantly related to better mental health.
• Effects of Uninsurance During the Preceding 10 Years on Health Status Among Rural Working Age Adults (Fact Sheet)
  Fact Sheet
  Rural and Minority Health Research Center
  Date: 2005
  The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth was used to examine the effects of gaps in health insurance coverage on how individuals rate their physical and mental health.