Back to school: The effect of school visits during COVID-19 on COVID-19 outcomes

Dena Bravata, Jonathan Cantor, Neeraj Sood and Christopher Whaley

Journal of Health Economics, 2025, vol. 102, issue C

Abstract: The effects of school closures on COVID-19 transmission remain unclear, even after the conclusion of the national Public Health Emergency. We use healthcare claims data from 130 million household-week observations linked to smartphone mobility data to measure the effects of changes in county-level visits to schools on COVID-19 outcomes. We use a triple-differences approach that leverages within-county differences in exposure between families with and without school-age children and find modest impacts. We find increases in COVID-19 infection rates, with larger differences in low-income and higher COVID-19 prevalence counties.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; School closures; Cell phone mobility data (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s0167629625000608

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2025.103025

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