@article {Case202012350, title = {Decoding the mystery of American pain reveals a warning for the future}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The elderly in the United States report less pain than those in midlife{\textemdash}suggesting, perhaps, that once people move into old age, their morbidity will fall. Unfortunately, assessing pain by age at one point in time masks the fact that each successive birth cohort reports more pain at any given age than the cohorts that came before it. We cannot use the experience of the elderly today to project pain prevalence of the elderly tomorrow. Today{\textquoteright}s elderly have experienced less pain throughout their lives than those in midlife today, who will be tomorrow{\textquoteright}s elderly. If these patterns continue, pain prevalence will continue to increase for all adults; tomorrow{\textquoteright}s elderly will be sicker than today{\textquoteright}s elderly, with serious implications for healthcare.There is an expectation that, on average, pain will increase with age, through accumulated injury, physical wear and tear, and an increasing burden of disease. Consistent with that expectation, pain rises with age into old age in other wealthy countries. However, in America today, the elderly report less pain than those in midlife. This is the mystery of American pain. Using multiple datasets and definitions of pain, we show today{\textquoteright}s midlife Americans have had more pain throughout adulthood than did today{\textquoteright}s elderly. Disaggregating the cross-section of ages by year of birth and completion of a bachelor{\textquoteright}s degree, we find, for those with less education, that each successive birth cohort has a higher prevalence of pain at each age{\textemdash}a result not found for those with a bachelor{\textquoteright}s degree. Thus, the gap in pain between the more and less educated has widened in each successive birth cohort. The increase seen across birth cohorts cannot be explained by changes in occupation or levels of obesity for the less educated, but fits a more general pattern seen in the ongoing erosion of working-class life for those born after 1950. If these patterns continue, pain prevalence will continue to increase for all adults; importantly, tomorrow{\textquoteright}s elderly will be sicker than today{\textquoteright}s elderly, with potentially serious implications for healthcare.The European and US official data are publicly available, although the European data require permission from Eurostat. The US data can be freely downloaded from the Web. We have prepared code that can be used to replicate our results. The underlying Gallup data are proprietary, and are not publicly available. We have prepared a replication dataset, containing all of the data that will allow replication of the results. Gallup will hold these data, but researchers can obtain permission from Gallup, and Gallup will give them access to the data for replication or further research. Please contact permissionsatgallup.com for more information.}, keywords = {birth cohort analysis, educational divide, international comparisons, pain prevalence}, issn = {0027-8424}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.2012350117}, author = {Case, Anne and Deaton, Angus and Arthur A. Stone} } @article {7512, title = {Causes and consequences of early-life health.}, journal = {Demography}, volume = {47 Suppl}, year = {2010}, month = {2010}, pages = {S65-85}, publisher = {47}, abstract = {

We examine the consequences of child health for economic and health outcomes in adulthood, using height as a marker of childhood health. After reviewing previous evidence, we present a conceptual framework that highlights data limitations and methodological problems that complicate the study of this topic. We then present estimates of the associations between height and a range of outcomes--including schooling, employment, earnings, health, and cognitive ability--measured in five data sets from early to late adulthood. These results indicate that, on average, taller individuals attain higher levels of education. Height is also positively associated with better economic, health, and cognitive outcomes. These associations are only partially explained by the higher average educational attainment of taller individuals. We then use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Children and Young Adults survey to document the associations between health, cognitive development, and growth in childhood. Even among children with the same mother, taller siblings score better on cognitive tests and progress through school more quickly. Part of the differences found between siblings arises from differences in their birth weights and lengths attributable to mother{\textquoteright}s behaviors while pregnant. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that childhood health influences health and economic status throughout adulthood.

}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Body Height, Child, Child Development, Child, Preschool, Educational Status, Employment, Family Characteristics, Female, Health Status, Humans, Income, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Regression Analysis, Socioeconomic factors, United Kingdom}, issn = {0070-3370}, doi = {10.1353/dem.2010.0007}, author = {Case, Anne and Paxson, Christina} } @article {7299, title = {Early Life Health and Cognitive Function in Old Age.}, journal = {Am Econ Rev}, volume = {99}, year = {2009}, month = {2009 May}, pages = {104-109}, publisher = {99}, keywords = {Adult, Aged, Child, Cognition Disorders, Communicable Diseases, Health Status, Humans, Infant, Infant Mortality, United States}, issn = {0002-8282}, doi = {10.1257/aer.99.2.104}, author = {Case, Anne and Paxson, Christina} } @article {5724, title = {Height, Health and Cognitive Function at Older Ages}, year = {2008}, keywords = {Health Conditions and Status}, url = {http://www.princeton.edu/rpds/papers/pdfs/Case_Paxson_Height_Health_and_Cognitive_Function.pdf}, author = {Case, Anne and Paxson, Christina} } @article {7287, title = {Stature and status: Height, ability, and labor market outcomes.}, journal = {J Polit Econ}, volume = {116}, year = {2008}, month = {2008}, pages = {499-532}, publisher = {116}, abstract = {

The well-known association between height and earnings is often thought to reflect factors such as self esteem, social dominance, and discrimination. We offer a simpler explanation: height is positively associated with cognitive ability, which is rewarded in the labor market. Using data from the US and the UK, we show that taller children have higher average cognitive test scores, and that these test scores explain a large portion of the height premium in earnings. Children who have higher test scores also experience earlier adolescent growth spurts, so that height in adolescence serves as a marker of cognitive ability.

}, issn = {0022-3808}, doi = {10.1086/589524}, author = {Case, Anne and Paxson, Christina} }