From infant to mother: Early disease environment and future maternal health

Douglas Almond, Janet Currie and Mariesa Herrmann

Labour Economics, 2012, vol. 19, issue 4, 475-483

Abstract: This paper investigates the connections between a woman's early life disease environment and her future health, socioeconomic status, and the health of her children. We exploit U.S. birth records, which can be linked to the post-neonatal mortality rates in the mother's state of birth and provide information on the outcomes of the mother and her infant. We find that exposure to disease in early childhood significantly increases the incidence of diabetes and is associated with worse socioeconomic status and maternal behaviors. We also find evidence of intergenerational transmission of maternal health shocks: among whites, higher exposure increases the probability of low birth weight infants. However, among blacks, higher maternal exposure reduces the incidence of low birth weight, possibly reflecting selection effects.

Keywords: Early environment; Disease; Maternal health; Socioeconomic status; Infant health; Prenatal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (43)

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Working Paper: From Infant to Mother: Early Disease Environment and Future Maternal Health (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:19:y:2012:i:4:p:475-483

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2012.05.015

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