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Infant mortality and diminished entelechy in three European countries

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  • Bruckner, Tim A.
  • Catalano, Ralph A.

Abstract

Individual-level research reports that adverse environmental conditions during infancy increase the risk of mortality later in life. Extending this model to populations implies what we call the "diminished entelechy" hypothesis in which birth cohorts subjected to virulent environmental insults early in life experience increased mortality at older ages and do not realize their otherwise expected lifespan. Controversy remains as to whether the individual-level findings generalize to populations. We test the "diminished entelechy" hypothesis by measuring the association between infant mortality and life expectancy at age one for males and females born in Sweden (1751-1912), Denmark (1835-1913), and England and Wales (1841-1912). Time-series methods control for trends and other forms of autocorrelation that could confound the associations. Results support diminished entelechy in Sweden and England and Wales, but not in Denmark, in that environmental insults during infancy appear associated with reduced cohort lifespan. We then explored when in the life course the sequelae of infancy appear most salient. We examined cohort associations between infant mortality and mortality during childhood (1-4 years), youth (5-19 years), adulthood (20-54 years), and old-age (55-79 years). We generally find that infant cohort effects appear to "program" the mortality experience in youth, but not in adulthood or old-age. These findings conflict with the notion that improved conditions during infancy shaped the historical decline of old-age mortality.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruckner, Tim A. & Catalano, Ralph A., 2009. "Infant mortality and diminished entelechy in three European countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1617-1624, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:68:y:2009:i:9:p:1617-1624
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    1. Blackwell, Debra L. & Hayward, Mark D. & Crimmins, Eileen M., 2001. "Does childhood health affect chronic morbidity in later life?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 52(8), pages 1269-1284, April.
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    3. Gerard J. van den Berg & Maarten Lindeboom & France Portrait, 2006. "Economic Conditions Early in Life and Individual Mortality," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(1), pages 290-302, March.
    4. Robert W. Fogel, 1994. "The Relevance of Malthus for the Study of Mortality Today: Long-Run Influences on Health, Mortality, Labor Force Participation, and Population Growth," NBER Historical Working Papers 0054, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. van den Berg, Gerard J. & Doblhammer, Gabriele & Christensen, Kaare, 2009. "Exogenous determinants of early-life conditions, and mortality later in life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1591-1598, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mikko Myrskylä, 2010. "The effects of shocks in early life mortality on later life expectancy and mortality compression: A cohort analysis," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 22(12), pages 289-320.
    2. Ralph Catalano & Tim Bruckner & Kirk Smith & Katherine Saxton, 2012. "Temperature oscillations may shorten male lifespan via natural selection in utero," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 697-707, February.
    3. Ingrid K. van Dijk & Angelique Janssens & Ken R. Smith, 2019. "The Long Harm of Childhood: Childhood Exposure to Mortality and Subsequent Risk of Adult Mortality in Utah and The Netherlands," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 35(5), pages 851-871, December.

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