The impact of minimum wage increase on suicidal ideation in South Korea: a difference-in-differences analysis using nationally representative panel data

BACKGROUND

South Korea had the highest suicide rates in the OECD and one of the largest (16.4%) increases in the minimum wage in 2018. Prior studies have provided evidence that increases in minimum wage reduce suicide rates in the population, but no study examined the effects of the policy change on individual-level suicidal behaviour.

METHODS

Our study sample was built using the 2015-2019 waves of the Korean Welfare Panel Survey, a population-representative longitudinal survey. The sample consisted of 5146 participants, including those earning above minimum wage (control) and minimum wage earners (treatment) based on their 2018/19 earnings. The outcome of the study was suicidal ideation, which is an important precursor to other suicidal behaviours, and was captured using self-reported measures. We examined the impact of the 2018 minimum wage hike in Korea on suicidal ideation, using a difference-in-differences design.

RESULTS

The minimum wage increase was associated with a 1.6% points reduction (95% CI: -2.8% to -0.5%) in self-reported suicidal ideation. Stronger policy effects were shown among women and older age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that public policies employing a population-based approach, such as increasing minimum wages, could serve as an effective intervention to mitigate suicidal ideation among low-income workers.

Is fair representation good for children? effects of electoral partisan bias in state legislatures on policies affecting children's health and well-being

Increasing evidence suggests that state policies impact constituents' health, but political determinants of health and health inequities remain understudied. Using state and year fixed-effects models, we determined the extent to which changes in electoral partisan bias in lower chambers of U.S. state legislatures (i.e., discrepancy between statewide vote share and seat share) were followed by changes in five state policies affecting children and families (1980-2019) and a composite of safety net programs (1999-2018). We examined effects on each policy and whether the effect was modified when bias was accompanied by unified party control. Next, we determined whether the effect differed depending on which party it favored. Less bias resulted only in higher AFDC/TANF benefits. Both pro-Democratic and pro-Republican bias was followed by decreased AFDC/TANF benefits and increased Medicaid benefits. AFDC/TANF recipients, unemployment benefits, minimum wage, and pre-K-12 education spending increased following pro-Democratic bias and decreased following pro-Republican bias. Estimated effects on the composite measure of safety net policies were all close to null. Some effects were modulated by unified party control. Results demonstrate that increasing fairness in elections is not a panacea by itself for increasing generosity of programs affecting children's well-being. Indeed, bias can be somewhat beneficial for the expansiveness of some policies. Furthermore, with the exception of unemployment benefits and AFDC/TANF recipients, Democrats have not been using the additional power that comes with electoral bias to spend more on major programs that benefit children. Finally, after decades in which electoral bias was in Democrats' favor, bias has started to shift toward Republicans in the last decade. This trend forecasts more cuts in almost all the policies in this study, especially education and AFDC/TANF recipients. There is a need for more research and advocacy emphasis on the political determinants of social determinants of health, especially at the state level.

Early results of a natural experiment evaluating the effects of a local minimum wage policy on the diet-related health of low-wage workers, 2018-2020

OBJECTIVE

The current study presents results of a midpoint analysis of an ongoing natural experiment evaluating the diet-related effects of the Minneapolis Minimum Wage Ordinance, which incrementally increases the minimum wage to $15/h.

DESIGN

A difference-in-difference (DiD) analysis of measures collected among low-wage workers in two U.S. cities (one city with a wage increase policy and one comparison city). Measures included employment-related variables (hourly wage, hours worked and non-employment assessed by survey questions with wages verified by paystubs), BMI measured by study scales and stadiometers and diet-related mediators (food insecurity, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and daily servings of fruits and vegetables, whole-grain rich foods and foods high in added sugars measured by survey questions).

SETTING

Minneapolis, Minnesota and Raleigh, North Carolina.

PARTICIPANTS

A cohort of 580 low-wage workers (268 in Minneapolis and 312 in Raleigh) who completed three annual study visits between 2018 and 2020.

RESULTS

In DiD models adjusted for time-varying and non-time-varying confounders, there were no statistically significant differences in variables of interest in Minneapolis compared with Raleigh. Trends across both cities were evident, showing a steady increase in hourly wage, stable BMI, an overall decrease in food insecurity and non-linear trends in employment, hours worked, SNAP participation and dietary outcomes.

CONCLUSION

There was no evidence of a beneficial or adverse effect of the Minimum Wage Ordinance on health-related variables during a period of economic and social change. The COVID-19 pandemic and other contextual factors likely contributed to the observed trends in both cities.

Impact of the minimum wage increase on smoking behaviour: A quasi-experimental study in South Korea

BACKGROUND

While there's a growing body of research studying the health effects of minimum wage increases, evidence of its impact on smoking is inconsistent. Using nationally representative statistics, our quasi-experimental study examines the impacts of South Korea's 2018 minimum wage increase on smoking patterns, offering a distinctive context due to the significant wage growth and the country's permissive smoking culture.

METHODS

Using the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS), we conducted a difference-in-differences analysis using two-way fixed effect (TWFE) and Callaway and Sant'Anna Difference-in-differences (CSDID) methods. The study sample (n = 3494) included individuals aged 19-64 at baseline in 2016, and employed in the entire study period (2016-2019).

RESULTS

The model results suggest a roughly 2% increase in the probability of current smoking with an insignificant impact on average daily cigarette consumption following the 2018 minimum wage increase in Korea. These effects were most pronounced among men and age groups (45-64). We also found policy effects on those earning up to 150% of the minimum wage.

CONCLUSION

In a culture with widespread acceptance of smoking, an exogenous increase in disposable income due to elevated minimum wage might enhance vulnerability to societal pressure to smoke. Although TWFE and CSDID both suggest the same overall trend, the latter approach allows a more detailed examination by acknowledging heterogeneous treatment effects. These results could guide policymakers to contemplate the potential for increased smoking resulting from minimum wage hikes in societies where tobacco use is common, and accordingly strategize anti-smoking public health initiatives.

Impact of Technology on Macro-Level Employment and the Workforce: What are the Implications for Job Creation and Job Destruction in Ghana?

Technology whilst creating jobs has destroyed many jobs. The destructive power of technology has led many workers in developing countries, especially Ghana to fight against its introduction. We investigate the effect of technological change on job creation and destruction in Ghana using longitudinal data from the World Development Indicator covering 1990 to 2018. By running the ARDL model, the summative technology-related job destruction is higher in the short run whilst job creation is higher in the long run. Thus, technology has a compensation effect on job destruction and job creation, due to its labour-saving nature. The short and long-run job destruction is higher with increasing importations, interest rate, and minimum wages, however, economic growth, FDI, and exportation increase job creation. Since technology results in higher job destruction, it is important to equip workforce with the technological knowledge before the introduction of new technology.

Racial, ethnic, and gender differences in the association between higher state minimum wages and health and mental well-being in US adults with low educational attainment

BACKGROUND

To date, research evaluating the association between minimum wage and health has been heterogenous and varies based on the specific subpopulation or health outcomes under evaluation while associations across racial, ethnic, and gender identities have been understudied.

METHODS

A triple difference-in-differences strategy using modified Poisson regression was used to evaluate the associations between minimum wage and obesity, hypertension, fair or poor general health, and moderate psychological distress in 25-64-year-old adults with a high school education/GED or less. Data from the 1999-2017 Panel Study of Income Dynamics was linked to state policies and characteristics to estimate the risk ratio (RR) associated with a $1 increase in current and 2-year lagged state minimum wages overall and by race, ethnicity, and gender (non-Hispanic or non-Latino (NH) White men, NH White women, Black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) men, and BIPOC women) adjusting for individual and state-level confounding.

RESULTS

No associations between minimum wage and health were observed overall. Among NH White men 2-year lagged minimum wage was associated with reduced risk of obesity (RR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.67, 0.99). Among NH White women, current minimum wage was associated lower risk of moderate psychological distress (RR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.54, 1.00) while 2-year lagged minimum wage was associated with higher obesity risk (RR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.64) and lower risk of moderate psychological distress (RR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.56, 1.00). Among BIPOC women, current minimum wage was associated with higher risk of fair or poor health (RR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.40). No associations were observed among BIPOC men.

CONCLUSION

While no associations were observed overall, heterogeneous associations between minimum wage, obesity, and psychological distress by racial, ethnic, and gender strata warrant further study and have implications for health equity research.

Minimum wages and health: evidence from European countries

This study investigates the effects of minimum wage on health, well-being, and income security in European countries. The empirical strategy consists of exploiting variations in the minimum wage across European countries over time. We show that minimum wage increases improve individuals' self-reported health and income security. Minimum wage increases also improve life satisfaction and happiness. The effects are largest among women, employed individuals, married individuals, and those with less than a secondary education. Our results are robust to several robustness checks and consistent with existing evidence on the relationship between minimum wage and health.

The minimum wage and parent time use

This study used a differences-in-differences strategy with national time diary data from 2003 to 2018 to examine the effects of minimum wage changes on parents' time with children and in child-related activities. Findings indicate that a $1 increase in the minimum wage was associated with a small increase (2.6%) in the likelihood parents with one or more children under age 16 spent time actively caring for or helping children on weekends, and in more total time with children (a 2% increase in secondary child care time). In general, coefficients were larger for mothers' time use, particularly non-employed mothers, with potential implications for gender disparities in caregiving. Unmarried parents and parents of color showed increases in their time spent in activities related to children's health (~55% increase). Mothers showed an increase (8%) in the likelihood they spent any time in child education-related activities, and increases in child care time appeared concentrated among parents whose youngest child was 6-15 years of age. Findings suggest that increases in state minimum wages may lead to small increases in parents' time investments in children, with some variation among subgroups.

The impact of the minimum wage on suicide rates in Hong Kong

Increases in minimum wages have been associated with reductions in suicide rates in the United States, but little evidence is available for Asia where social and contextual factors, as well as drivers of suicide, may be different. We investigated the impact of the introduction of the minimum wage in Hong Kong in May 2011 on suicide rates using an interrupted time series design for the period January 2006 to December 2016. We investigated both immediate and gradual changes in monthly suicide rates after the introduction of the minimum wage taking into account secular trends. We conducted stratified analyses by age and gender. In total 9396 suicides were recorded in Hong Kong during the 11-year study period. Introduction of the minimum wage was associated with an immediate decrease of 13.0% in the monthly suicide rate (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.4%-19.9%, P = 0.001). There was an immediate decrease of 15.8% in older working aged (25-64 years) men (95% CI: 4.2%-25.9%, P = 0.009). Point estimates of immediate effect for other subgroups were also in a negative direction, but were not statistically significant. There was no evidence of a gradual effect on suicide rates at the population level or by subgroup other than a small increase in younger working aged men. We estimate that 633 suicides were prevented by the minimum wage legislation for the period from May 2011 to December 2016, the majority in older working aged men. Our results provide new evidence that, similar to findings in Western settings, minimum wages may help to reduce suicide in Asia, particularly for working age men. Our study highlights the importance of examining the health impacts of government economic policy and suggests minimum wages may provide policy makers with an upstream population-based strategy to reduce suicide rates.

The Impact of Recent State and Local Minimum Wage Increases on Nursing Facility Employment

Various U.S. states and municipalities raised their mandated minimum wages between 2017 and 2019. In some areas, minimum wages became high enough to bind for more professional workers, such as lower paid staff at nursing facilities. We add to the small prior literature on the effects of minimum wages on nursing facility staffing using novel establishment-level data on daily hours worked; these data allow us to examine changes in staffing hours along margins previously unexplored in the minimum wage literature. We find no evidence that minimum wage increases reduced hours worked among lower-paid nurses in nursing facilities. In contrast, we find that increases in state and local minimum wages increased hours worked per resident day by nursing assistants; increases occurred for the average of all days throughout the month and on weekend days. We also find that a higher minimum wage increased the share of days in the month that facilities meet at least 75% of the minimum recommended levels of staffing for nursing assistants. These results lessen concerns that minimum wage hikes may reduce the quality of resident care at nursing facilities.

The impact of minimum wage on parental time allocation to children: evidence from the American Time Use Survey

In this study, using data from the 2003-2019 American Time Use Survey (ATUS), we investigate whether changes in the minimum wage have impacted time allocation to children among low-educated mothers and fathers. Relying on geographic and temporal variation in minimum wage changes across US states, we investigate the impacts of minimum wage increases on total time spent at home with children, time spent on primary childcare, and time spent on enriching childcare activities. Our results indicate that an increase in the minimum wage has a large positive effect on the time low-educated mothers spend on primary childcare and enriching time, with no effect among low-educated fathers. We find that Black mothers with less than a high school education see the biggest gains, with an increase in time spent on childcare and time spent on enriching childcare activities by 13.8 and 15.8 min per day, respectively, for each $1 increase in the minimum wage. We also see that single mothers' time investment is largely unaffected by minimum wage changes, suggesting that there are still considerable income constraints facing these families. Lastly, we see that less educated families with children under the age of 7 significantly increase time spent on primary childcare and enriching time from minimum wage increases, given that they may not have the ability to afford private childcare.

The effects of recent minimum wage increases on self-reported health in the United States

Minimum wage policy continues to receive considerable popular and legislative attention in the United States. Despite a fast-growing empirical literature on the relationship between the minimum wage and health, previous studies generally use data from the 1990s to 2014. In this study, we estimate the impact of recent changes in state-level minimum wages on the self-reported health of adults in the post-Great Recession era. Using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and a difference-in-differences design, we exploit more than 150 state-level increases in the minimum wage between 2011 and 2019. Our results indicate that a higher minimum wage increases men's physical and mental health burdens but has an ambiguous effect on a more general measure of health. Among women, the minimum wage improves general health and reduces their physical and mental health burdens. Compared to past studies, our work indicates that the relationship between the minimum wage and health has changed over time. It also illustrates the need for policymakers to consider the broader consequences of minimum wage policy, including health effects and gender differences therein.

State minimum wages and health insurance coverage in the United States: 2008-2018

This study examines the effect of minimum wage hikes on the shares of uninsured people during the period 2008-2018. Despite some concern that higher minimum wages would lead to higher uninsured rates by (1) reducing employment, (2) inducing employers to stop offering health insurance to their employees, and (3) making minimum wage workers ineligible for Medicaid by increasing their earnings, the findings indicate that the uninsured rate tends to decrease with higher minimum wages, suggesting that minimum wage hikes might encourage minimum-wage workers to obtain health insurance. The effects appear to come from minimum wage hikes that occurred after the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect in 2014, suggesting that higher minimum wages combined with federal subsidies for the ACA marketplace and the individual mandate might have contributed to a reduction in the uninsured rate. However, Medicaid expansions seem to mitigate the effect of the minimum wage on the uninsured rate among low-income households.

The effect of increased minimum wage on child externalizing behaviors

The Family Stress Model (FSM) has been used to show the relationship between socioeconomic disadvantage and child externalizing behaviors and suggests that interventions promoting economic security may be a promising approach to reduce child externalizing behavior. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study from 2002 to 2010 we examined the effect of minimum wage laws on child externalizing behaviors through a difference in difference in differences (DDD) study design. Externalizing behavior was assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) using the rule breaking, attention problems, and violence subscales. DDD analyses suggest a $1 increase in the minimum wage was associated with a 2% reduction in violent behaviors (β = -1.90, 95%CI[-3.12, -0.68], p = 0.003) for the most vulnerable families headed by a primary caregiver with less than a high school education. The study results suggest that increases in the minimum wage are associated with reductions in the most severe and costly externalizing behaviors among children. Study results contribute to a growing body of literature showing that increased family incomes have positive impacts on child development, and that minimum wage policy is potentially an effective mechanism for the primary prevention of violence.

Analysing the Politics of Nigeria's 2019 National Minimum Wage: Towards a Public Policy

This paper analyses the politics that characterised the Nigeria 2019 national minimum wage negotiations and implementation, which so far is the most prolonged in Nigeria's history. Workers' welfare is the responsibility of governments across the world through fixing and regulation of the national minimum wage. But in Nigeria, this has been problematic, and the entire process is characterised by industrial actions undertaken to compel the government to commit to wage negotiations and implementation. The paper argues that the absence of functional standing machinery with a focus on labour economics, deciding the condition and time for a minimum wage review is seen as the main bane in government-labour frequent face-off in Nigeria, which has negatively impacted on harmonious industrial relations. Writing from the analytical point of view, the paper finds that industrial actions have become one action too many because of government's political approach to labour demands. Deciphered in the foregoing is that the current system of government-labour negotiation for new national minimum wage cannot guarantee workers' welfare in Nigeria. Thus, for the Nigeria government to address this perennial minimum wage problem and be seen as fulfilling its obligation to the International Labour Organisation, it must urgently put in place an acceptable mechanism for fixing and regulating the national minimum wage in Nigeria to cushion the effect of the hike in petroleum products on which the national economy largely depends.

The role of provincial social policies and economic environments in shaping food insecurity among Canadian families with children

Food insecurity, inadequate access to food due to financial constraints, affects 17.3% of Canadian children, with serious health repercussions. Capitalizing on the geo-temporal variation in social policies and economic environments across Canadian provinces between 2005 and 2018, we examined the association between provincial policies and economic environments and likelihood of experiencing food insecurity among households with children. Drawn from 13 years of the Canadian Community Health Survey, our sample comprised 123,300 households with below-median income with children under 18 in the ten provinces. We applied generalized ordered logit models on the overall sample and subsamples stratified by Low-Income Measure (LIM). Higher minimum wage, lower income tax, and lower unemployment rate were associated with lower odds of food insecurity in the overall sample. A hypothetical one-dollar increase in minimum wage was associated with 0.8 to 1.0-percentage-point decrease in probability of food insecurity. The probability of food security increased by 1.2 to 1.6 percentage points following a one-percentage-point drop in bottom-bracket income tax rate. One-percentage-point lower unemployment rate corresponded to 0.6 to 0.8-percentage-point higher probability of food security. Higher welfare income and lower housing price predicted lower likelihood of severe food insecurity in the below-LIM subsample. Higher sales tax and median wage predicted higher likelihood of food insecurity among above-LIM households. Income support policies, favorable labor market conditions, and affordable living costs were all related to reduced food insecurity among Canadian households with children. Policies that increase minimum wage, reduce taxes, and create jobs may help alleviate food insecurity.

It may cost an arm and a leg: workers value and occupational fatality rates in the U.S

BACKGROUND

The present study aims to observe how societal indicators of workers' values at the state-level are related to health and safety outcomes, particularly major injuries and fatalities in the U.S. Underscoring workforce flexibility and workability over workforce stability and safety might be indicative of the worth of workers which can be associated with occupational safety and health concerns.

METHODS

Linear regression analysis with a log-transformed dependent variable was adopted to examine how the state-level indicators of worker value in terms of 1) minimum wage, using data from 2015; 2) average of workers' compensations for the loss of an arm, hand, leg, or foot in 2015 were concurrently and prospectively associated with occupational fatality rates averaged across 2015, 2016 and 2017. Socioeconomic contextual variables such as education level, GDP per capita, and population at the state-level were controlled for.

RESULTS

The present study showed that state-level quantitative indicators of how workers are valued at work, namely minimum wage and workers' compensation benefits, were significantly and negatively associated with fatality rates in the following year.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study illustrates the gap in how workers are valued across the U.S. The study speaks to the importance of contextual factors regarding worker value, as they can affect outcomes of health and safety culminating at a state-level.

Effects of US state preemption laws on infant mortality

Studies show that raising the minimum wage in a US state above the federal minimum wage can reduce infant mortality rates in those states. Some states have raised their minimum wage in recent decades, while many others did not, and have prohibited local authorities from doing so by enacting preemption laws. This study investigates how the recent emergence of state preemption laws that remove local authority to raise the minimum wage has affected infant mortality rates. Using county- and state- level data spanning 2001 through 2018, this study models infant mortality rates as a function of minimum wage levels, controlling for confounders. The estimated model, combined with information on the timing, location, and level of preempted minimum wages, is then used to estimate the number of infant deaths that occurred in 2018 that could be attributed to state preemption of local minimum wage increases. In the 9 largest (pop. > 250,000) metro counties most directly affected by state preemption, we estimate that in 2018, 25 infant deaths were attributable to preemption. This equates to a 5.4% reduction in these counties' infant mortality rate. When considering all large metro counties in preemption states, as many as 605 infant deaths could be attributed to preemption. State preemption laws that remove local authority to enact health-promoting legislation, such as minimum wage increases, are a significant threat to population health. The growing tide of these laws, particularly since 2010, may be contributing to recent troubling trends in US life expectancy.

Association between hourly wages and dietary intake after the first phase of implementation of the Minneapolis minimum wage ordinance

OBJECTIVE

In 2018, Minneapolis began phased implementation of an ordinance to increase the local minimum wage to $15/h. We sought to determine whether the first phase of implementation was associated with changes in frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V), whole-grain-rich foods, and foods high in added sugars among low-wage workers.

DESIGN

Natural experiment.

SETTING

The Wages Study is a prospective cohort study of 974 low-wage workers followed throughout the phased implementation of the ordinance (2018-2022). We used difference-in-difference analysis to compare outcomes among workers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to those in a comparison city (Raleigh, North Carolina). We assessed wages using participants' pay stubs and dietary intake using the National Cancer Institute Dietary Screener Questionnaire.

PARTICIPANTS

Analyses use the first two waves of Wages data (2018 (baseline), 2019) and includes 267 and 336 low-wage workers in Minneapolis and Raleigh, respectively.

RESULTS

After the first phase of implementation, wages increased in both cities, but the increase was $0·84 greater in Minneapolis (P = 0·02). However, the first phase of the policy's implementation was not associated with changes in daily frequency of consumption of F&V (IRR = 1·03, 95 % CI: 0·86, 1·24, P = 0·73), whole-grain-rich foods (IRR = 1·23, 95 % CI: 0·89, 1·70, P = 0·20), or foods high in added sugars (IRR = 1·13, 95 % CI: 0·86, 1·47, P = 0·38) among workers in Minneapolis compared to Raleigh.

CONCLUSIONS

The first phase of implementation of the Minneapolis minimum wage policy was associated with increased wages, but not with changes in dietary intake. Future research should examine whether full implementation is associated dietary changes.

A Difference-in-Difference Study Evaluating the Effect of Minimum Wage Policy on Body Mass Index and Related Health Behaviors

Minimum wage laws are a promising policy lever to promote health equity, but few rigorous evaluations have tested whether and how minimum wage policy affects health outcomes. This paper describes an ongoing difference-in-difference study evaluating the health effects of the 2017 Minneapolis Minimum Wage Ordinance, which incrementally increases the minimum wage to $15/hr. We present: (1) the conceptual model guiding the study including mediating mechanisms, (2) the study design, and (3) baseline findings from the study, and (4) the analytic plan for the remainder of the study. This prospective study follows a cohort of 974 low-wage workers over four years to compare outcomes among low-wage workers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and those in a comparison city (Raleigh, North Carolina). Measures include height/weight, employment paystubs, two weeks of food purchase receipts, and a survey capturing data on participant demographics, health behaviors, and household finances. Baseline findings offer a profile of individuals likely to be affected by minimum wage laws. While the study is ongoing, the movement to increase local and state minimum wage is currently high on the policy agenda; evidence is needed to determine what role, if any, such policies play in improving the health of those affected.

Can Labor Market Policies Reduce Deaths of Despair?

Do minimum wages and the earned income tax credit (EITC) mitigate rising "deaths of despair?" We leverage state variation in these policies over time to estimate event study and difference-in-differences models of deaths due to drug overdose, suicide, and alcohol-related causes. Our causal models find no significant effects on drug or alcohol-related mortality, but do find significant reductions in non-drug suicides. A 10 percent minimum wage increase reduces non-drug suicides among low-educated adults by 2.7 percent, and the comparable EITC figure is 3.0 percent. Placebo tests and event-study models support our causal research design. Increasing both policies by 10 percent would likely prevent a combined total of more than 700 suicides each year.

Examining the association of changes in minimum wage with health across race/ethnicity and gender in the United States

BACKGROUND

The minimum wage creates both winners (through wage increases) and-potentially-losers (through job losses). Research on the health effects of minimum wage policies has been sparse, particularly across gender and among racial/ethnic minorities. We test the impact of minimum wage increases on health outcomes, health behaviors and access to healthcare across gender and race/ethnicity.

METHODS

Using 1993-2014 data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, variables for access to healthcare (insurance coverage, missed care due to cost), health behavior (exercise, fruit, vegetable and alcohol consumption) and health outcomes (self-reported fair/poor health, hypertension, poor physical health days, poor mental health days, unhealthy days) were regressed on the product of the ratio of the 1-year lagged minimum wage to the state median wage and the national median wage, using Linear Probability Models and Poisson Regression Models for dichotomous and count outcomes, respectively. Regressions (total population, gender-stratified, race/ethnicity stratified (white, black, Latino), gender/race/ethnicity stratified and total population with interaction terms for race/ethnicity/gender) controlled for state-level ecologic variables, individual-level demographics and fixed-effects (state and year). Results were adjusted for complex survey design and Bonferroni corrections were applied to p-values such that the level of statistical significance for a given outcome category was 0.05 divided by the number of outcomes in that category.

RESULTS

Minimum wage increases were positively associated with access to care among white men, black women and Latino women but negatively associated with access to care among white women and black men. With respect to dietary quality, minimum wage increases were associated with improvements, mixed results and negative impacts among white, Latino and black men, respectively. With respect to health outcomes, minimum wage increases were associated with positive, negative and mixed impacts among white women, white men and Latino men, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

While there is enthusiasm for minimum wage increases in the public health community, such increases may have to be paired with deliberate strategies to protect workers that might be vulnerable to economic dislocation. Such strategies may include more robust unemployment insurance or increased access to job training for displaced workers.

Seattle's minimum wage ordinance did not affect supermarket food prices by food processing category

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impacts of Seattle's minimum wage ordinance on food prices by food processing category.

DESIGN

Supermarket food prices were collected for 106 items using a University of Washington Center for Public Health Nutrition market basket at affected and unaffected supermarket chain stores at three times: March 2015 (1-month pre-policy enactment), May 2015 (1-month post-policy enactment) and May 2016 (1-year post-policy enactment). Food items were categorized into four food processing groups, from minimally to ultra-processed. Data were analysed across time using a multilevel, linear difference-in-differences model at the store and price level stratified by level of food processing.

SETTING

Six large supermarket chain stores located in Seattle ('intervention') affected by the policy and six same-chain but unaffected stores in King County ('control'), Washington, USA.

SUBJECTS

One hundred and six food and beverage items.

RESULTS

The largest change in average price by food item was +$US 0·53 for 'processed foods' in King County between 1-month post-policy and 1-year post-policy enactment (P < 0·01). The smallest change was $US 0·00 for 'unprocessed or minimally processed foods' in Seattle between 1-month post-policy and 1-year post-policy enactment (P = 0·94). No significant changes in averaged chain prices were observed across food processing level strata in Seattle v. King County stores at 1-month or 1-year post-policy enactment.

CONCLUSIONS

Supermarket food prices do not appear to be differentially impacted by Seattle's minimum wage ordinance by level of the food's processing. These results suggest that the early implementation of a city-level minimum wage policy does not alter supermarket food prices by level of food processing.

Economic policy and the double burden of malnutrition: cross-national longitudinal analysis of minimum wage and women's underweight and obesity

OBJECTIVE

To examine changes in minimum wage associated with changes in women's weight status.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study of legislated minimum wage levels (per month, purchasing power parity-adjusted, 2011 constant US dollar values) linked to anthropometric and sociodemographic data from multiple Demographic and Health Surveys (2000-2014). Separate multilevel models estimated associations of a $10 increase in monthly minimum wage with the rate of change in underweight and obesity, conditioning on individual and country confounders. Post-estimation analysis computed predicted mean probabilities of being underweight or obese associated with higher levels of minimum wage at study start and end.

SETTING

Twenty-four low-income countries.

SUBJECTS

Adult non-pregnant women (n 150 796).

RESULTS

Higher minimum wages were associated (OR; 95 % CI) with reduced underweight in women (0·986; 0·977, 0·995); a decrease that accelerated over time (P-interaction=0·025). Increasing minimum wage was associated with higher obesity (1·019; 1·008, 1·030), but did not alter the rate of increase in obesity prevalence (P-interaction=0·8). A $10 rise in monthly minimum wage was associated (prevalence difference; 95 % CI) with an average decrease of about 0·14 percentage points (-0·14; -0·23, -0·05) for underweight and an increase of about 0·1 percentage points (0·12; 0·04, 0·20) for obesity.

CONCLUSIONS

The present longitudinal multi-country study showed that a $10 rise in monthly minimum wage significantly accelerated the decline in women's underweight prevalence, but had no association with the pace of growth in obesity prevalence. Thus, modest rises in minimum wage may be beneficial for addressing the protracted underweight problem in poor countries, especially South Asia and parts of Africa.

The impact of the UK National Minimum Wage on mental health

Despite an emerging literature, there is still sparse and mixed evidence on the wider societal benefits of Minimum Wage policies, including their effects on mental health. Furthermore, causal evidence on the relationship between earnings and mental health is limited. We focus on low-wage earners, who are at higher risk of psychological distress, and exploit the quasi-experiment provided by the introduction of the UK National Minimum Wage (NMW) to identify the causal impact of wage increases on mental health. We employ difference-in-differences models and find that the introduction of the UK NMW had no effect on mental health. Our estimates do not appear to support earlier findings which indicate that minimum wages affect mental health of low-wage earners. A series of robustness checks accounting for measurement error, as well as treatment and control group composition, confirm our main results. Overall, our findings suggest that policies aimed at improving the mental health of low-wage earners should either consider the non-wage characteristics of employment or potentially larger wage increases.

The impact of minimum wages on population health: evidence from 24 OECD countries

This study examines the relationship between minimum wages and several measures of population health by analyzing data from 24 OECD countries for a time period of 31 years. Specifically, I test for health effects as a result of within-country variations in the generosity of minimum wages, which are measured by the Kaitz index. The paper finds that higher levels of minimum wages are associated with significant reductions of overall mortality rates as well as in the number of deaths due to outcomes that have been shown to be more prevalent among individuals with low socioeconomic status (e.g., diabetes, disease of the circulatory system, stroke). A 10% point increase of the Kaitz index is associated with significant declines in death rates and an increase in life expectancy of 0.44 years. Furthermore, I provide evidence for potential channels through which minimum wages impact population health by showing that more generous minimum wages impact outcomes such as poverty, the share of the population with unmet medical needs, the number of doctor consultations, tobacco consumption, calorie intake, and the likelihood of people being overweight.

The association of minimum wage change on child nutritional status in LMICs: A quasi-experimental multi-country study

There is recognition that social protection policies such as raising the minimum wage can favourably impact health, but little evidence links minimum wage increases to child health outcomes. We used multi-year data (2003-2012) on national minimum wages linked to individual-level data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) from 23 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) that had least two DHS surveys to establish pre- and post-observation periods. Over a pre- and post-interval ranging from 4 to 8 years, we examined minimum wage growth and four nutritional status outcomes among children under 5 years: stunting, wasting, underweight, and anthropometric failure. Using a differences-in-differences framework with country and time-fixed effects, a 10% increase in minimum wage growth over time was associated with a 0.5 percentage point decline in stunting (-0.054, 95% CI (-0.084,-0.025)), and a 0.3 percentage point decline in failure (-0.031, 95% CI (-0.057,-0.005)). We did not observe statistically significant associations between minimum wage growth and underweight or wasting. We found similar results for the poorest households working in non-agricultural and non-professional jobs, where minimum wage growth may have the most leverage. Modest increases in minimum wage over a 4- to 8-year period might be effective in reducing child undernutrition in LMICs.

The effects of minimum wages on the health of working teenagers

This article examines the effect of minimum wage increases on the self-reported health of teenage workers. We use a difference-in-differences estimation strategy and data from the Current Population Survey, and disaggregate the sample by race/ethnicity and gender to uncover the differential effects of changes in the minimum wage on health. We find that white women are more likely to report better health with a minimum wage increase while Hispanic men report worse health.