Working Paper: NBER ID: w23107
Authors: Christopher S. Carpenter; Emily C. Lawler
Abstract: We study the direct and spillover effects of state requirements that middle school youths obtain a tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) booster prior to middle school entry. These mandates increased vaccine take-up by 29 percent and reduced pertussis (whooping cough) incidence in the population by a much larger 53 percent due to herd immunity effects. We also document cross-vaccine spillovers: the mandates increased adolescent vaccination for meningococcal disease and human papillomavirus (which is responsible for 98 percent of cervical cancers) by 8-34 percent, with particularly large effects for children from low SES households.
Keywords: Vaccination; Public Health; Adolescent Health; Tdap; Herd Immunity
JEL Codes: I1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Tdap mandates (I19) | Tdap vaccination rates (Y10) |
| Tdap mandates (I19) | pertussis morbidity (I12) |
| Tdap mandates (I19) | meningococcal disease vaccination rates (I18) |
| Tdap mandates (I19) | HPV vaccination rates (I19) |