Biroli, Pietro, Boneva, Teodora, Raja, Akash 
ORCID: 0000-0003-4928-9485 and Rauh, Christopher
(2022)
Parental beliefs about returns to child health investments.
Journal of Econometrics, 231 (1).
33 - 57.
ISSN 0304-4076
Abstract
Childhood obesity has adverse health and productivity consequences and it poses negative externalities to health services. To shed light on the role of parents, we elicit parental beliefs about the returns and the persistence of a healthy diet and exercise routine in childhood. Parents believe both types of investments to improve child and adult health outcomes. Consistent with a model of taste formation, parents believe that childhood health behaviors persist into adulthood. We show that perceived returns are predictive of health investments and outcomes, and that less educated parents view the returns to health investments to be lower. Our descriptive evidence suggests that beliefs contribute to the socioeconomic inequality in health outcomes and the intergenerational transmission of obesity.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-e... |
| Additional Information: | © 2020 Elsevier B.V |
| Divisions: | Economics |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services |
| JEL classification: | D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D19 - Other I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I10 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I12 - Health Production: Nutrition, Mortality, Morbidity, Suicide, Substance Abuse and Addiction, Disability, and Economic Behavior |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Sep 2020 09:15 |
| Last Modified: | 12 Dec 2024 02:19 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/106653 |
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