Biomaterial Database

Marital status, health, and use of health services. An old relationship revisited. 1979

A R Somers

Historical data indicate that married persons live longer on the average than unmarried persons and that they generally make less use of health care services. These facts are increasingly important in view of the growing proportion of "singles" in the US population. The complex cause-and-effect relationship between marriage and better health has long been recognized, but there is now some indication that the relationship is less strong than before. Despite lack of precise knowledge on many aspects of this issue, two facts are clear: perceptions of health, illness, and "need" for health care are constantly changing and as the family's role in health has declined, there has been a concurrent rise in the "need" for, and cost of, the external health care system. The future of these trends depends, in part, on the future of the American family.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008393	Marriage	The social institution involving legal and/or religious sanction whereby individuals are joined together.	Marital Relationship,Arranged Marriage,Commonlaw Marriage,Consensual Union,Consummation of Marriage,Dowry,Husband-Wife Comparisons,Intermarriage,Marriage Age,Marriage Duration,Marriage Patterns,Marriage Postponement,Mate Selection,Multiple Marriages,Nuptiality,Polygamy,Polygyny,Remarriage,Same-Sex Marriage,Age, Marriage,Ages, Marriage,Arranged Marriages,Commonlaw Marriages,Comparison, Husband-Wife,Comparisons, Husband-Wife,Consensual Unions,Dowries,Duration, Marriage,Husband Wife Comparisons,Husband-Wife Comparison,Intermarriages,Marital Relationships,Marriage Ages,Marriage Consummation,Marriage Consummations,Marriage Pattern,Marriage Postponements,Marriage, Arranged,Marriage, Commonlaw,Marriage, Same-Sex,Marriages,Marriages, Arranged,Marriages, Commonlaw,Marriages, Multiple,Marriages, Same-Sex,Mate Selections,Postponement, Marriage,Postponements, Marriage,Relationship, Marital,Relationships, Marital,Remarriages,Same Sex Marriage,Same-Sex Marriages,Selection, Mate,Selections, Mate,Union, Consensual,Unions, Consensual
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009017	Morbidity	The proportion of patients with a particular disease during a given year per given unit of population.	Morbidities
D009026	Mortality	All deaths reported in a given population.	CFR Case Fatality Rate,Crude Death Rate,Crude Mortality Rate,Death Rate,Age Specific Death Rate,Age-Specific Death Rate,Case Fatality Rate,Decline, Mortality,Determinants, Mortality,Differential Mortality,Excess Mortality,Mortality Decline,Mortality Determinants,Mortality Rate,Mortality, Differential,Mortality, Excess,Age-Specific Death Rates,Case Fatality Rates,Crude Death Rates,Crude Mortality Rates,Death Rate, Age-Specific,Death Rate, Crude,Death Rates,Determinant, Mortality,Differential Mortalities,Excess Mortalities,Mortalities,Mortality Declines,Mortality Determinant,Mortality Rate, Crude,Mortality Rates,Rate, Age-Specific Death,Rate, Case Fatality,Rate, Crude Death,Rate, Crude Mortality,Rate, Death,Rate, Mortality,Rates, Case Fatality
D009735	Nursing Homes	Facilities which provide nursing supervision and limited medical care to persons who do not require hospitalization.	Homes, Nursing,Nursing Home
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D005190	Family	A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children.	Family Life Cycles,Family Members,Family Life Cycle,Family Research,Filiation,Kinship Networks,Relatives,Families,Family Member,Kinship Network,Life Cycle, Family,Life Cycles, Family,Network, Kinship,Networks, Kinship,Research, Family
D005260	Female		Females
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man