Time in the Great Recession: The Impact of the 2008/2009 Economic Recession and Unemployment on Time Spent in Health Behaviors

Rachelle Hill, University of Minnesota

An economic recession has gripped the global economy since December of 2007 causing firm failures, growing unemployment, and general experiences of insecurity across the United States and the broader global economy. Prior research has shown that economic uncertainty and unemployment impact health and health outcomes, however it is unclear how this relationship works. In this study I examine the impacts of both the overall economic insecurity accompanying the 2008-2009 recession and actual job loss on time spent in healthy behavior (e.g. sleep, exercise and medical care) by drawing on the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) and the information in the Current Population Survey (CPS) that can be linked to it.