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Title: Another Sort of Intergenerational Transfer? Influenza and the Fetal Origins Hypothesis

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2004

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Abstract: The theory known as the Barker hypothesis, posits that shocks to the mothers health changes a childs in utero development in ways that may be difficult or impossible to alter later in life. This paper subjects the Barker hypothesis to an ordeal. We use the 1918 influenza epidemic as an exogenous health shock and observe mortality rates in the 1980's for the cohorts born before and during the epidemic.We find no evidence in support of a large Barker effect. Because we use an exogenous shock to health to identify the effect, our results cast doubt on those who claim a large effect from observations where the conditions of birth are a function of persistent health patterns. The possibility remains that a larger or more long-lived shock might produce a measurable effect.

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Authors: Snyder, Stephen E.

Conference Name: Economics Association Annual Meeting

Publisher Location: New Orleans, LA

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Family and Marriage, Health

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