Descripción del proyecto
Abordar los orígenes de las desigualdades en salud
Las desigualdades en salud surgen a causa de múltiples condiciones, entornos y conmociones durante la infancia. Nuestros conocimientos sobre los orígenes del desarrollo de las desigualdades a una edad temprana siguen siendo limitados. Lo que sí sabemos es que necesitamos formular urgentemente políticas sanitarias preventivas y medidas que permitan a nuestras sociedades disfrutar de un futuro justo y saludable. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos DEVORHBIOSHIP estudiará la interrelación entre los genes y los entornos en diferentes fases del desarrollo utilizando una combinación de datos de alta calidad, medidas delicadas y estrategias de identificación sólidas, junto con técnicas econométricas para datos observacionales y experimentales. Los resultados tendrán implicaciones políticas directas para la formulación de nuevas medidas rentables para fomentar la salud.
Objetivo
What are the origins of inequalities in health? A recent literature in economics has established causal impacts of early life shocks, investments and policies on lifelong health. However, several unknowns remain. The mechanisms through which shocks, investments, and policies interact are just beginning to be understood. Our knowledge of sensitive periods is imprecise. Little is also known about the impact of shocks and policies across different ages. Commonly used health capital measures, such as birth weight, lack sensitivity and specificity. The interplay between genes and environments in the formation of health inequalities is poorly understood.
To fill these gaps, I will build on insights from my earlier work, and use a combination of high-quality data, more sensitive measures, robust identification strategies and richer models to untangle the complex interactions between biology, shocks, investments and policies.
First, I will investigate causal impacts and mechanisms of two public health policies on child health and development: medical treatments for pregnancy complications and prenatal home visiting programmes. Second, I will examine the effects of two environmental shocks (pollution and influenza) on the formation of early health and human capital, and their interplay with maternal investments in nutrition. Third, I will study interactions between shocks, investments and policies from birth to adulthood, to understand the dynamic interplay between SES and health. Throughout, I will explore their interactions with genetic susceptibility or potential.
I will analyse administrative records, registries linked to survey data, cohort data with biomarkers; and a randomized controlled trial. I will use state-of-the-art econometric techniques for observational and experimental data. My findings will have direct policy implications and will help understand whether and to which extent early life interventions are a cost-effective mean to promote health.
Ámbito científico
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespublic health
- social scienceseconomics and businesseconomics
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesinfectious diseasesRNA virusesinfluenza
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicineobstetricsfetal medicine
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencesnutrition
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantInstitución de acogida
WC1E 6BT London
Reino Unido