Birth Order and Health of Newborns: What Can We Learn from Danish Registry Data?

Anne Brenøe and Ramona Molitor
Additional contact information
Ramona Molitor: Department of Business Administration University of Copenhagen and Economics, University of Passau

No 15-14, Discussion Papers from University of Copenhagen. Department of Economics

Abstract: Research has shown a strong negative correlation between birth order and cognitive test scores, IQ, and educational outcomes. We ask whether birth order differences in health are present at birth using matched administrative data for more than 1,000,000 children born in Denmark between 1981 and 2010. Using family fixed effects models, we find a positive and robust birth order effect; earlier born children are less healthy at birth. Looking at the potential mechanisms, we find that during earlier pregnancies women have higher labor market attachment, behave more risky in terms of smoking, receive more prenatal care, and are diagnosed with more medical pregnancy complications. Yet, none of these factors explain the birth order differences at birth. Combining our results with findings from the medical literature, we propose that biology is driving the early life advantage (nature). Finally, we show that these birth order differences at birth do not explain the negative birth order effect in educational performace, suggesting that nurture rather than nature is an important player later in life.

Keywords: Birth order; parity; child health; fetal health; health at birth; education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I12 J12 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 58 pages
Date: 2015-09-22
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-eur, nep-hea and nep-ltv
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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http://www.econ.ku.dk/english/research/publications/wp/dp_2015/1514.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Birth Order and Health of Newborns: What Can We Learn from Danish Registry Data? (2016)
Working Paper: Birth Order and Health of Newborns: What Can We Learn from Danish Registry Data? (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kud:kuiedp:1514

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