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Married folks still the healthiest
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-11 23:38

People who've exchanged wedding vows tend to be healthier than their single, divorced or widowed peers, but new research shows that health gap may be narrowing.


Jean Liu and Kevin Huang, of San Jose, Calif.,poser after they were married at San Francisco City Hall, Friday, Aug. 8, 2008. They said they were married due to this lucky day, 8-8-08. The date is also revered in China where more than 16,000 Beijing couples tied the knot on China's auspicious triple-eight date, adding a dash of love to a day of national pride at the start of the Olympics. [Agencies] 

Interviews with today's never-married men suggest they are healthier than never-married guys were three decades ago, researchers say. And that's helping single males gain some ground, in terms of their health, compared to married people.

"One of the most-often documented facts is that married people are healthier than non-married people, but the difference between married and unmarried people has changed over the past few decades," said the study's lead author, Hui Liu, an assistant professor and sociologist at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

The findings are in the September issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

Liu said there are two theories as to why married people report better health. One is that being married gives you more access to social support and economic resources. The other is that being divorced or widowed hurts health.

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