Real wages, alcohol consumption and mortality in Sweden, 1861-1913.

Factors affecting the decline in mortality among Swedish men that occurred during the latter part of the nineteenth century are analyzed. In addition to the impact on mortality of changes in real wages, the author develops the hypothesis that a decline in alcohol consumption was a contributing factor. These relationships are explored using time-series analyses on official data for the period 1861-1913. The results indicate that "real wages as well as alcohol consumption per capita had a statistically significant effect on male mortality. When the alcohol predictor was omitted in the model, the wage effect did not reach statistical significance. The decline in male mortality during the study period was, on the average, about one per cent per year. According to the results, a good half of this decrease is attributable to the trends in real wages and alcohol consumption." (SUMMARY IN FRE) excerpt