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. 2023 Mar;32(3):541-557.
doi: 10.1002/hec.4632. Epub 2022 Nov 15.

Exposure in utero to adverse events and health late-in-life: Evidence from China

Jiyuan Wang  1 , Rob Alessie  2 , Viola Angelini  2
Affiliations

Exposure in utero to adverse events and health late-in-life: Evidence from China

Jiyuan Wang et al. Health Econ. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

This paper estimates the effect of in utero exposure to adverse events on late life diabetes, cardiovascular disease risks and cognition deficiency. We merge data on the regional violence during the Cultural Revolution and the excessive death rates during the Chinese Great Famine with data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study survey. Results show that female babies who were exposed in utero to the famine have higher diabetes risks, while male babies who were exposed to the Cultural Revolution are shown to have lower cognitive abilities.

Keywords: Chinese Great Famine; cardiovascular disease; cognition; cultural revolution; diabetes; early life conditions.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Collective violence during the cultural revolution 1966–1971.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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