Impact of a guaranteed annual income program on Canadian seniors’ physical, mental and functional health
Open accessAbstract
Objective Although there is widespread recognition that poverty is a key determinant of health, there has been less research on the impact of poverty reduction on health. Recent calls for a guaranteed annual income (GAI), defined as regular income provided to citizens by the state regardless of work status, raise questions about the impact, relative to the costs, of such a population health intervention. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of Canadian seniors' benefits (Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement, analogous to a GAI program) on the self-reported health, self-reported mental health and functional health of age-eligible, low-income seniors.Methods We used the 2009-2010 Canadian Community Health Survey to examine unattached adult respondents with an annual income of $20,000 or less, stratified by seniors' benefits/GAI eligibility (55-64 years: ineligible; 65-74 years: eligible). Using regression, we assessed self-reported health, selfreported mental health and functional health as measured by the Health Utilities Index, as outcomes for seniors' benefits/GAI-eligible and -ineligible groups.Results We found that individuals age-eligible for seniors' benefits/GAI had better health outcomes than recipients of conditional income assistance programs. Eligibility for seniors' benefits/GAI after age 64 was associated with better self-reported health, functional health and self-reported mental health outcomes, and these effects were observed until age 74.Conclusion Using seniors' benefits as an example, a GAI leads to significantly better mental health and improved health overall. These improvements are likely to yield reduced health care costs, which may offset the costs associated with program expansion.
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Income-based interventions, including child benefits and public pension programs for seniors, reduced household food insecurity in Canada.
“Studies have shown that income-based interventions, including child benefits [34–36] and public pension programs for seniors [37], reduced household food insecurity in Canada”
From Prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of food insecurity among post-secondary students and non-students of similar age in Canada (2023) · cites this paper as [37]
The Results report lower food-insecurity prevalence among seniors eligible for benefits than among younger, ineligible groups, and the Discussion describes seniors’ benefits as an effective poverty-reduction strategy. But the study examined single, low-income Canadians aged 55–74, not Canadian households generally; it also used cross-sectional comparisons rather than measuring a reduction after an intervention. Citation [37] is attached to the pension-program portion, not the child-benefit portion. (LLM, conf=0.83)
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- Authors
- McIntyre, L., Kwok, C., Emery, J. C. H., & Dutton, D. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Calgary (CA)
- University of Lethbridge (CA)
- Corresponding author
- McIntyre, Lynn
- Venue
- Canadian Journal of Public Health
- Published
- 2016-03
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- e176-e182
- ISSN
- 0008-4263 (ISSN-L)
- 1920-7476
- PMC
- PMC6972215
- OpenAlex
- W2511681023
- Cited by
- 57
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 6.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Canadian Journal of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FRN: 115208, 115208)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- guaranteed annual income, old-age security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, poverty reduction, low-income elderly, self-reported health, mental health, functional health, Health Utilities Index, population health interventions, health care costs
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Canada, Eligibility Determination, Female, Health Status, Health Surveys, Humans, Income, Male, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Old Age Assistance, Poverty, Program Evaluation
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