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Abstract
This paper uses repeated cross section data from Norway to compare patterns of inequality in
self assessed health and obesity with patterns of inequality in underlying lifestyles central to
the production of good health, namely physical activity, non-smoking and diet quality,
represented by fish and fruits and vegetables consumption. We estimate a multivariate probit
model to study correlates of these lifestyle and health variables, while Gini and concentration
indices are being decomposed to identify sources of inequality. Results point towards
considerable heterogeneity across the different lifestyle and health variables. Thus, patterns
of inequality in health outcomes are not necessarily representative of patterns of inequality in
their underlying production factors, including lifestyles. While education is generally found to
be an important source of inequality, and in some variables, primarily the health variables,
also income, there are several cases in which other factors are much more important in
explaining inequality, such as gender in fruits and vegetables eating, age in fish eating, and
maternal education in obesity. Assuming that poor health and health inequality should ideally
be prevented rather than treated, policies should mainly focus on production factors of
health, including lifestyles, rather than final health itself. To be efficient, however, the design
of such policies may need to be based on lifestyle-specific knowledge, as suggested by our
heterogeneous results.