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. 2024 Jun;33(6):1266-1283.
doi: 10.1002/hec.4815. Epub 2024 Feb 25.

Using data on biomarkers and siblings to study early-life economic determinants of type-2 diabetes

Rob J M Alessie  1   2 , Viola Angelini  1   2 , Gerard J van den Berg  1   3   4   5 , Jochen O Mierau  1   3   6 , Gianmaria Niccodemi  7
Affiliations

Using data on biomarkers and siblings to study early-life economic determinants of type-2 diabetes

Rob J M Alessie et al. Health Econ. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

We study the effect of economic conditions early in life on the occurrence of type-2 diabetes in adulthood using contextual economic indicators and within-sibling pair variation. We use data from Lifelines: a longitudinal cohort study and biobank including 51,270 siblings born in the Netherlands from 1950 onward. Sibling fixed-effects account for selective fertility. To identify type-2 diabetes we use biomarkers on the hemoglobin A1c concentration and fasting glucose in the blood. We find that adverse economic conditions around birth increase the probability of type-2 diabetes later in life both in males and in females. Inference based on self-reported diabetes leads to biased results, incorrectly suggesting the absence of an effect. The same applies to inference that does not account for selective fertility.

Keywords: business cycle; developmental origins; early‐life conditions; unemployment.

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References

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