Fetal Growth and Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Childhood

41 Pages Posted: 10 Oct 2014

See all articles by Pinka Chatterji

Pinka Chatterji

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); State University of New York (SUNY) - Department of Economics

Dohyung Kim

State University of New York (SUNY) - Department of Economics

Kajal Lahiri

State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany

Date Written: September 30, 2014

Abstract

Using a sample of sibling pairs from a nationally representative U.S. survey, we examine the effects of the fetal growth rate on a set of neurobehavioral outcomes in childhood measured by parent-reported diagnosed developmental disabilities and behavior problems. Based on models that include mother fixed effects, we find that the fetal growth rate, a marker for the fetal environment, is negatively associated with lifetime diagnosis of developmental delay. We also find that the fetal growth rate is negatively associated with disruptive behaviors among male children. These results suggest that developmental disabilities and problem behaviors may play a role in explaining the well-documented association between birth weight and human capital outcomes measured in adulthood.

Keywords: low birth weight, fetal growth, neurobehavioral outcomes, developmental disabilities, Behavior Problems Index (BPI)

JEL Classification: I120, I200

Suggested Citation

Chatterji, Pinka and Kim, Dohyung and Lahiri, Kajal, Fetal Growth and Neurobehavioral Outcomes in Childhood (September 30, 2014). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 4998, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2507770 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2507770

Pinka Chatterji

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

State University of New York (SUNY) - Department of Economics ( email )

Dohyung Kim

State University of New York (SUNY) - Department of Economics ( email )

1400 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12222
United States

Kajal Lahiri (Contact Author)

State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany ( email )

Department of Economics
1400 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12222
United States
518-442 4758 (Phone)
518-442 4736 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.albany.edu/~klahiri

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