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Height and cognition at older ages: Irish evidence

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  • Mosca, Irene
  • Wright, Robert E.

Abstract

Previous research suggests that taller individuals have greater cognitive ability. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate whether the relationship between height and cognition holds in later-life using data from the first wave of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). Seven measures of cognition are used. These measures capture aspects of cognition which are more likely to decline in old age, such as cognitive flexibility, processing speed, concentration and attention. It is found that height is positively and significantly associated with cognition in later-life also when education and early-life indicators are controlled for. The finding that adult height is a marker for nutrition and health environment experienced in early-life is widely accepted in the literature. The findings of this paper suggest that height might have a greater value added, as it appears to be a useful measure of unobserved childhood experiences.

Suggested Citation

  • Mosca, Irene & Wright, Robert E., 2016. "Height and cognition at older ages: Irish evidence," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 98-101.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:149:y:2016:i:c:p:98-101
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2016.10.016
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    1. repec:pri:rpdevs:case_paxson_cog_function_additional.pdf is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Fernihough, Alan & McGovern, Mark E., 2015. "Physical stature decline and the health status of the elderly population in England," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 16(C), pages 30-44.
    3. Cahit Guven & Wang Sheng Lee, 2013. "Height And Cognitive Function At Older Ages: Is Height A Useful Summary Measure Of Early Childhood Experiences?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 224-233, February.
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    15. Nicola Persico & Andrew Postlewaite & Dan Silverman, 2001. "The Effect of Adolescent Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Height, Third Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 04-013, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 15 Mar 2004.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jain, Urvashi & Ma, Mingming, 2020. "Height shrinkage, health and mortality among older adults: Evidence from Indonesia," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cognition; Height; Ageing; Early-life;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

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