THE UNHEALTHY U.S. INCOME GAP.

INCOME inequality; LIFE expectancy; ECONOMIC status; UNHEALTHY Societies: The Afflictions of Inequality (Book); WILKINSON, Richard G.

This article reports that the U.S. has the highest per capita income among the world's leading countries. Yet despite the well-established relationship between people's economic status and their health, the U.S. trails a number of nations in life expectancy and other health indicators. One of the reasons for this is the widening gap between rich and poor. This fact is highlighted by Richard G. Wilkinson in his recent book titled "Unhealthy Societies: The Afflictions of Inequality." Harvard researchers have also found that income inequality is also associated with low levels of social capital.