Newborn Health and the Business Cycle: Is It Good to Be Born in Bad Times?

Ainoa Aparicio and Libertad Gonzalez

No 8031, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We study the effect of the cycle on the health of newborn babies using 30 years of birth-certificate data for Spain. We find that babies are born healthier when the local unemployment rate is high. Although fertility is lower during recessions, the effect on health is not the result of selection, since the main result survives the inclusion of parents' fixed-effects. Analysis of National Health Survey data shows that fertility-age women engage in healthier behaviors during recessions (in terms of exercise, sleep, smoking and drinking) and report better overall health. We conclude that maternal health is a plausible mediating channel.

Keywords: newborn health; business cycle; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E32 I10 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52 pages
Date: 2014-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-hea and nep-mac
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

Published - published as 'Recessions and Babies' Health' in: Economics & Human Biology, Volume 37, May 2020, 100836.

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Related works:
Working Paper: Newborn Health and the Business Cycle: Is it Good to be Born in Bad Times? (2015)
Working Paper: Newborn health and the business cycle: Is it good to be born in bad times? (2014)
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