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Does economic recession impact newborn health? Evidence from Greece

Author

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  • Kyriopoulos, I.
  • Nikoloski, Zlatko
  • Mossialos, E.
Abstract
This study examines the impact of the Greek recession on newborn health. Using a large administrative dataset of 838,700 births from 2008 to 2015, our analysis shows that birth weight (BW) and pregnancy length are generally procyclical with respect to prenatal economic climate, while the risk of low birth weight and preterm birth are both countercyclical. We report heterogeneity in the relationship between business cycle fluctuations during pregnancy and newborn health across socioeconomic groups. Birth outcomes of children born to low socioeconomic status (SES) families are sensitive to economic fluctuations during the first and third trimesters of the pregnancy, whereas those of high-SES newborns respond to economic volatility only in the first trimester. These results are robust, even after using different measures of economic climate and uncertainty. After accounting for potential selection into pregnancy, we find that in utero exposure to economic crisis is linked with a BW loss, which is driven by the low-SES children. Our findings have social policy implications. The impact of economic crisis on birth indicators is more detrimental for the low-SES children, resulting in a widening of the BW gap between children of low- and high-SES families. This could, in turn, exacerbate long-term socioeconomic and health inequalities and hinder social mobility.

Suggested Citation

  • Kyriopoulos, I. & Nikoloski, Zlatko & Mossialos, E., 2019. "Does economic recession impact newborn health? Evidence from Greece," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101587, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:101587
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    Cited by:

    1. Mika Akesaka & Nobuyoshi Kikuchi, 2021. "The Effects of Gender-Specific Local Labor Demand on Birth and Later Outcomes," ISER Discussion Paper 1153r, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, revised May 2022.
    2. Yuhang Zheng & Zhehao Huang & Tianpei Jiang, 2020. "Will the Economic Recession Inhibit the Out-of-Pocket Payment Willingness for Health Care?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-16, January.
    3. Akesaka, Mika & Kikuchi, Nobuyoshi, 2024. "The effects of gender-specific local labor demand on birth and later outcomes," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Seiz, Marta & Salazar, Leire & Eremenko, Tatiana, 2024. "Perinatal health in Spain during and after the Great Recession: Educational selection into fertility as a protective factor in high unemployment contexts," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    5. Mika Akesaka & Nobuyoshi Kikuchi, 2021. "The Effects of Gender-Specific Local Labor Demand on Birth and Later Outcomes," ISER Discussion Paper 1153, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    6. Mokhtari, MohammadAli, 2023. "Opioids ease my pain: Early-life malnutrition and elderly outcomes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 327(C).
    7. Guozhen Gao & Jinmiao Hu & Yuanyuan Wang & Guofeng Wang, 2022. "Regional Inequalities and Influencing Factors of Residents’ Health in China: Analysis from the Perspective of Opening-Up," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-17, September.
    8. repec:dpr:wpaper:1153rr is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Ichiro Kawachi & Ilias Kyriopoulos & Sotiris Vandoros, 2023. "Economic uncertainty and cardiovascular disease mortality," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(7), pages 1550-1560, July.
    10. Doyle, Mary-Alice, 2023. "Seasonal patterns in newborns’ health: quantifying the roles of climate, communicable disease, economic and social factors," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 119971, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    11. Doyle, Mary-Alice, 2023. "Seasonal patterns in newborns’ health: Quantifying the roles of climate, communicable disease, economic and social factors," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Birth outcomes; Birth weight; Business cycle fluctuations; Economic crisis; Greece; Newborn health; Recession;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N0 - Economic History - - General

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