The effects of medical school on health outcomes: Evidence from admission lotteries

Edwin Leuven, Hessel Oosterbeek and Inge de Wolf

Journal of Health Economics, 2013, vol. 32, issue 4, 698-707

Abstract: This paper estimates the effects of attending medical school on health outcomes by exploiting that admission to medical school in the Netherlands is determined by a lottery. Among the applicants for medical school, people who attended medical school have on average 1.5 more years of completed education than people who did not. They are also more likely to have been exposed to a health-related education curriculum. The results show only modest impacts on health outcomes. Attending medical school reduces alcohol consumption and being underweight somewhat, and has a small positive impact on self-reported health status. It has, however, a small negative effect on the frequency of physical exercise and no significant impact on smoking, and being overweight or obese. Attending medical school does have a large positive impact on the probability of being registered for donations of organs.

Keywords: Education gradient; Admission lotteries; Medical school; Health outcomes; Organ donation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I23 I24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:32:y:2013:i:4:p:698-707

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2013.04.001

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