1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«In this paper, we extend research on the link between health and relationship status […].» (p. 600)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«To examine the link between relationship status and health empirically we use data from the Canadian NPHS [National Public Health Survey].» (p. 605) L’échantillon compte 15 779 individus.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Using data from the Canadian NPHS we examine the impact of formal relationships (marriage, divorce, and widowhood) and informal relationships (cohabitation and separation) on health. [O]ur results suggest both positive effects of marriage and cohabitation on mental and physical health and on weight and health-related behaviors. Specifically, after controlling for age, income, education, province of residence, children and time-invariant personal characteristics via individual-level fixed effects we find that marriage and cohabitation confer some positive health benefits to Canadian women and men. The positive effects of marriage on health result from improvements in mental health for women as evidenced by the reduction in depressive symptoms, and improved health behaviors related to alcohol use. There are, however, some adverse health consequences of marriage and cohabitation. For both men and women the presence of a partner is associated with an increase in BMI [body mass index], and for women this translates into a significant increase in the incidence of overweight and obesity. Married men exhibit a lower probability of regular exercise.» (p. 620) Cet article contient des statistiques pour le Québec.