The Long-Term Effects of In-Utero Exposure to Rubella

Irene Mosca and Anne Nolan

No 15062, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: A large body of research in economics and other disciplines considers the role of early-life circumstances in shaping later-life outcomes. The foetal origins hypothesis establishes that certain health conditions in later adulthood can be linked to in-utero development. In this paper, we contribute to the evidence on the foetal origins hypothesis by examining the later-life impact of a rubella outbreak that occurred in Ireland in 1956. Rubella is a contagious viral disease that displays mild symptoms and is generally inconsequential in childhood or adulthood. However, a rubella infection in early pregnancy poses a significant risk of damage to the foetus. Matching the outcomes of individuals born in 1955 to 1958 who are in the 2016 Irish Census to the county-level rubella incidence rate that was prevailing when respondents were in utero, we find that a 1% increase in the rubella incidence rate when in utero is associated with a 0.03% to 0.17% increase in the probability of having lower levels of educational attainment, being in poor health and having a disability in later life.

Keywords: in-utero; rubella; Ireland; later-life health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I10 I18 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2022-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo and nep-hea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: The Long-Term Effects of In-Utero Exposure to Rubella (2022)
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