Using credit scores to understand predictors and consequences of disease

A growing body of literature suggests consumer credit as an exciting new source for understanding relationships between economic well-being and health. Consumer credit scores provide summary measures of personal financial history, incorporating both the use of positive credit and the ability to manage debt. Credit scores are increasingly used to understand health outcomes because they can be informative about socioeconomic factors that contribute to health or disease outcomes, or they may reflect financial consequences of health or disease events. We introduce the credit score and highlight how it can add value to public health research.