Married adults are generally healthier than unmarried adults. It has been hypothesized that
marriage is associated with good health because marriage has beneficial effects on health (marriage
protection effects) and/or because healthier individuals are more likely to marry and to stay married
(marriage selection effects). To investigate these hypotheses, this study analyzes prospective panel data
for a large national sample of women in the U.S. (the National Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women).
The women were aged 24-34 yr at the beginning of two successive five-year follow-up intervals.