Socioeconomic differentials in mortality in Finland and the United States: the role of education and income

We document social inequalities in cause-specific mortality at ages 35-64 in Finland and the United States, countries with different health systems, income distributions, and social welfare programs for the working-aged population. The education-mortality gradient was the most marked for Finnish men and for causes of death linked to risk-taking, health behaviors, and stress. The association between family income and mortality was curvilinear in both countries. The effects of education and income were strongly attenuated after controlling for each other, marital status, and labor force participation, with the greatest attenuation observed for income in Finland and education in the United States.