Premium
Birth weight and adult income: An examination of mediation through adult height and body mass
Author(s) -
Pehkonen Jaakko,
Viinikainen Jutta,
Kari Jaana T.,
Böckerman Petri,
Lehtimäki Terho,
Raitakari Olli
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.4387
Subject(s) - body mass index , demography , socioeconomic status , anthropometry , birth weight , young adult , medicine , mediation , body weight , gerontology , endocrinology , pregnancy , population , biology , sociology , social science , genetics
This paper examines the causal links between early human endowments and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. We use a genotyped longitudinal survey (Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study) that is linked to the administrative registers of Statistics Finland. We focus on the effect of birth weight on income via two anthropometric mediators: body mass index (BMI) and height in adulthood. We find that (i) the genetic instruments for birth weight, adult height, and adult BMI are statistically powerful; (ii) there is a robust total effect of birth weight on income for men but not for women; (iii) the total effect of birth weight on income for men is partly mediated via height but not via BMI; and (iv) the share of the total effect mediated via height is substantial, of approximately 56%.