War during Childhood: The Long Run Effects of Warfare on Health

Arbeitspapier

This paper estimates the causal long-term consequences of an exposure to war in utero and during childhood on the risk of obesity and the probability of having a chronic health condition in adulthood. Using the plausibly exogenous city-by-cohort variation in the intensity of WWII destruction as a unique quasi-experiment, I find that individuals who were exposed to WWII destruction during the prenatal and early postnatal periods have higher BMIs and are more likely to be obese as adults. I also find an elevated incidence of chronic health conditions such as stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorder in adulthood among these wartime children.

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• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 10807

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Health: General ; Health Behavior ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
• Subject: health conditions ; body size ; warfare ; children

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Akbulut-Yuksel, Mevlude
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2017

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/170791