New Zealand Study Finds Link Between Low Credit Scores and Poor Health

Credit scores may reveal more about a person's health. A new study in New Zealand has found a strong link between low credit scores and poor cardiovascular health. Researchers studied 1,000 people in New Zealand for 38 years and discovered that credit ratings have a lasting impact on health.

The findings of the new study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers monitored the physical and mental health of New Zealanders at the time of their birth until they reach the age of 38. They found that each 100-pount increase in a person's credit score was associated to an almost one-year drop in heart age determined by cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Lead researcher Terrie Moffitt from Duke University said the study suggested that people who don't take care of their money also don't manage their health. However, researcher Salomon Israel explained the study doesn't mean that poor financial management can affect a person's health. He said the personal characteristics that lead to a low credit score can also contribute to a person's poor health. The research is part of the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study in New Zealand in which it revealed that self-control, perseverance and planning are factors leading to better health and financial standing.

Based on the data generated from 1,000 New Zealanders, researchers found that about 20 percent of the relationship between cardiovascular health and credit scores is accounted for by personal attributes, behaviour and competencies of study participants when they were below 10 years of age. Israel said the factors contributing to poor health and low credit scores take root early in life.

Experts who were not part of the study reacted positively to the findings, according to the Daily Mail. Harvard economist David Liabson remarked that the study will change the understanding of psychological factors affecting a person's health and wealth. Washington University associate professor Lamar Pierce said the study identifies common cognitive functions. He believes the findings provide hope that early life intervention can prevent the formation of life-long patterns of poor health and financial difficulty.