Indirect Health Consequences of War

Abstract

This study examines the effect of armed conflict on female and male adult cardiovascular disease mortality. Indirect health consequences of war have not been given enough attention in social science research. The depletion of resources, access to health care, and general disruption to everyday life during times of armed conflict create excess stress and burdens, which increase deaths caused by cardiovascular disease. I use a variety of data to measure demographic, developmental, and conflict-related outcomes spanning a forty-year period from 1960 to 2000 in more than a hundred countries. I find that all types of armed conflict increase cardiovascular disease mortality rates among females and males across countries and over time, with a greater effect on females.