Working Paper: NBER ID: w15637
Authors: Anne Case; Christina Paxson
Abstract: We examine the consequences of childhood health for economic and health outcomes in adulthood, using height as a marker of health in childhood. After reviewing previous evidence, we present a conceptual framework that highlights data limitations and methodological problems associated with the study of this topic. We present estimates of the associations between height and a range of outcomes, including schooling, employment, earnings, health and cognitive ability, using data collected from early to late adulthood on cohort members in five longitudinal data sets. We find height is uniformly associated with better economic, health and cognitive outcomes - a result only partially explained by the higher average educational attainment of taller individuals. We then turn to the NLSY79 Children and Young Adult Survey to better understand what specific aspects of early childhood are captured by height. We find, even among maternal siblings, taller siblings score better on cognitive tests and progress through school more quickly. Part of the differences found between siblings arises from differences in their birth weights and lengths attributable to mother's behaviors while pregnant. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that childhood health influences health and economic status throughout the life course.
Keywords: child health; economic outcomes; height; longitudinal data
JEL Codes: D1; I12; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Childhood health (height) (I14) | Economic status in adulthood (J31) |
| Childhood health (height) (I14) | Health in adulthood (I12) |
| Childhood health (height) (I14) | Educational attainment in adulthood (I21) |
| Childhood health (height) (I14) | Cognitive test scores (C12) |
| Educational attainment (I21) | Economic status in adulthood (J31) |
| Height (Y10) | Better health outcomes (less illness) (I14) |
| Height (Y10) | Better cognitive outcomes (D91) |