@article{74139db307074ae3b3ce9f47ccb2e860,
title = "Birth weight and adult income: An examination of mediation through adult height and body mass",
abstract = "This paper examines the causal links between early human endowments and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. We use a genotyped longitudinal survey (Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study) that is linked to the administrative registers of Statistics Finland. We focus on the effect of birth weight on income via two anthropometric mediators: body mass index (BMI) and height in adulthood. We find that (i) the genetic instruments for birth weight, adult height, and adult BMI are statistically powerful; (ii) there is a robust total effect of birth weight on income for men but not for women; (iii) the total effect of birth weight on income for men is partly mediated via height but not via BMI; and (iv) the share of the total effect mediated via height is substantial, of approximately 56%.",
keywords = "birth weight, body mass index, height, income, mediation, multivariable Mendelian randomization, polygenic instrument",
author = "Jaakko Pehkonen and Jutta Viinikainen and Kari, {Jaana T.} and Petri B{\"o}ckerman and Terho Lehtim{\"a}ki and Olli Raitakari",
note = "Funding Information: We thank John Cawley and Pekka Ilmakunnas for helpful and constructive comments on an earlier version of the paper. The Young Finns Study has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland grants [322098, 286284, 134309 (Eye), 126925, 121584, 124282, 129378 (Salve), 117787 (Gendi), and 41071 (Skidi)], EU Horizon 2020 grants [755320 for TAXINOMISIS, 848146 for TO‐AITION], European Research Council grant [742927 for MULTIEPIGEN], the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Competitive State Research Financing of the Expert Responsibility area of Kuopio, Tampere and Turku University Hospitals grant [X51001], Juho Vainio Foundation, Paavo Nurmi Foundation, Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation, Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Yrj{\"o} Jahnsson Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Diabetes Research Foundation of Finnish Diabetes Association, and Tampere University Hospital Supporting Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1002/hec.4387",
language = "English",
volume = "30",
journal = "HEALTH ECONOMICS",
issn = "1057-9230",
publisher = "Wiley",
number = "10",
}
