Health

The unemployed are on average in worse physical health. This is partly because some gave up work because of ill-health, such as work-induced heart and lung diseases. Warr (1984) studied 954 British unemployed and found that 27% said their health had become worse since giving up work but 11% said it was better-because of less stress, more relaxation and exercise. The mortality rate was 36% higher in Britain in the 10 years after 1971 (Moser et al., 1984), and there are long-term effects of unemployment by age 33 (Wadsworth et al., 1999). There are several reasons for this poor health-poverty and its effect on diet, heating, etc., poor health behaviour, such as more drinking and smoking, and increased stress, affecting the immune system and increasing heart disease.