John Bound

Bound and Arline Geronimus will examine how stagnating economic prospects among moderate-income households impact increasing inequities in life expectancy. Their research project will test the weathering hypothesis, which indicates that structurally-rooted stress causes wear and tear on cellular integrity and thus accelerates biological aging, hastens the onset of chronic diseases, increases the incidence of disability, and causes excess death in affected individuals and communities. They will also analyze common competing hypotheses for explaining increased inequity in life expectancy.