Long-run effects of gestation during the Dutch hunger winter famine on labor market and hospitalization outcomes

Robert S. Scholte, Gerard J. van den Berg, Maarten Lindeboom*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

77 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Dutch Hunger Winter (1944/45) is the most-studied famine in the literature on long-run effects of malnutrition in utero. Its temporal and spatial demarcations are clear, it was severe, it was not anticipated, and nutritional conditions in society were favorable and stable before and after the famine. This is the first study to analyze effects of in utero exposure on labor market outcomes and hospitalization late in life, and the first to use register data covering the full Dutch population to examine long-run effects of this famine. We provide results of famine exposure by sub-interval of gestation. We find a significantly negative effect of exposure during the first trimester of gestation on employment outcomes 53 or more years after birth. Hospitalization rates in the years before retirement are higher after middle or late gestational exposure.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17-30
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Health Economics
Volume39
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2015

Keywords

  • Ageing
  • Developmental origins
  • Employment
  • Health
  • Nutrition

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Long-run effects of gestation during the Dutch hunger winter famine on labor market and hospitalization outcomes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this