Project Manager
Louise CormackProject manager
Lund UniversityAmount granted
485 000 SEK
In the 20th century, public health in the western world has improved enormously and life expectancy at birth is now several decades higher than 100 years ago. However, these improvements have not benefited everyone equally. In Sweden, a socio-economic gradient in infant mortality has existed since the turn of the century and in adult mortality since the mid-20th century. The gradient implies lowest mortality among those with high socioeconomic status and highest mortality among those with low socioeconomic status. Although research has found long-term socioeconomic and health-related effects of early life circumstances, inequalities in adult mortality have not been fully linked to factors at earlier ages. The aim of this project is to examine how health inequalities in early life persist into older ages and what factors influence health inequalities across the life course. Economic, health-related and demographic factors will be analyzed. Longitudinal, historical population data on individuals living in Landskrona and five neighboring parishes between 1905-1967, linked to modern population registers, will be used to study the life course of individuals throughout the 20th century. The project contributes theoretically and methodologically to existing research, but is also policy relevant as it can inform which interventions reduce health inequalities and when they have the greatest impact.