Does in utero Exposure to Illness Matter? The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Taiwan as a Natural Experiment

Ming-Jen Lin and Elaine Liu

No 20166, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper tests whether in utero conditions affect long-run developmental outcomes using the 1918 influenza pandemic in Taiwan as a natural experiment. Combining several historical and current datasets, we find that cohorts in utero during the pandemic are shorter as children/adolescents and less educated compared to other birth cohorts. We also find that they are more likely to have serious health problems including kidney disease, circulatory and respiratory problems, and diabetes in old age. Despite possible positive selection on health outcomes due to high infant mortality rates during this period (18 percent), our paper finds a strong negative impact of in utero exposure to influenza.

JEL-codes: I12 I19 N35 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-05
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Note: AG CH EH
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Published as Lin, Ming-Jen & Liu, Elaine M., 2014. "Does in utero exposure to Illness matter? The 1918 influenza epidemic in Taiwan as a natural experiment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 152-163.

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Journal Article: Does in utero exposure to Illness matter? The 1918 influenza epidemic in Taiwan as a natural experiment (2014)
Working Paper: Does in utero Exposure to Illness Matter? The 1918 Influenza Epidemic in Taiwan as a Natural Experiment (2014)
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