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Does childcare improve the health of children with unemployed parents? Evidence from Swedish childcare access reform

Author

Listed:
  • Aalto, Aino-Maija

    (UCLS, Uppsala Universitet)

  • Mörk, Eva

    (Uppsala universitet)

  • Sjögren, Anna

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

  • Svaleryd, Helena

    (Uppsala universitet)

Abstract
We analyze how access to childcare affects the health outcomes of children with unemployed parents using a reform that increased childcare access in some Swedish municipalities. While we find no effects of childcare access on hospitalization for 2- to 3-year-olds, our results suggest that 4- to 5-year-olds were more likely to be hospitalized due to infections when they first gained access to childcare. Children aged 10 to 11 years who had access to childcare earlier in their childhood, while their parents were unemployed, were less likely to be prescribed medication for respiratory conditions and allergies. Taken together, our results suggest that the immediate health consequences of childcare access for children of unemployed parents are limited. Our findings support previous evidence that the greater exposure to microorganisms induced by childcare attendance may reduce the risk of developing allergies and asthma.

Suggested Citation

  • Aalto, Aino-Maija & Mörk, Eva & Sjögren, Anna & Svaleryd, Helena, 2019. "Does childcare improve the health of children with unemployed parents? Evidence from Swedish childcare access reform," Working Paper Series 2019:1, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2019_001
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Mara Barschkett, 2022. "Age-specific Effects of Early Daycare on Children's Health," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2028, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    2. Ali Ahmed & Mats Hammarstedt, 2020. "Ethnic discrimination in contacts with public authorities: a correspondence test among Swedish municipalities," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(17), pages 1391-1394, October.
    3. van den Berg, Gerard J. & Siflinger, Bettina M., 2022. "The effects of a daycare reform on health in childhood – Evidence from Sweden," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Mara Barschkett, 2022. "Age-specific Effects of Early Daycare on Children’s Health," Berlin School of Economics Discussion Papers 0005, Berlin School of Economics.
    5. Barschkett, Mara, 2023. "Age-specific Effects of Early Daycare on Children's Health," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277588, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Childcare; Child health; Unemployment; Quasi-experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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