Working Paper: NBER ID: w29524
Authors: N. Meltem Daysal; Hui Ding; Maya Rossin-Slater; Hannes Schwandt
Abstract: Preschool-aged children get sick frequently and spread disease to other family members. Despite the universality of this experience, there is limited causal evidence on the magnitudes and consequences of these externalities, especially for infant siblings with developing immune systems and brains. We use Danish administrative data to document that, before age one, younger siblings have 2-3 times higher hospitalization rates for respiratory conditions than older siblings. We combine birth order and within-municipality variation in respiratory disease prevalence among young children, and find lasting differential impacts of early-life respiratory disease exposure on younger siblings’ earnings, educational attainment, and mental health-related outcomes.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I12; I14; I18; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Birth order (J13) | Health outcomes (I14) |
| Older siblings (J12) | Hospitalization rates for younger siblings (J13) |
| Local disease prevalence (I12) | Hospitalization for younger siblings (I19) |
| Increased exposure to respiratory disease (I14) | High school graduation rates (I21) |
| Increased exposure to respiratory disease (I14) | Earnings by age 30 (J31) |
| Higher respiratory disease exposure before age one (I12) | Lower hospitalization rates at ages three to four (I19) |
| First-year RSV exposure (I19) | Future RSV hospitalization (I14) |