1 论文标题
The Long-term Health Effects of Mass Political Violence: Evidence From China’s Cultural Revolution
2 作者信息
Asadul Islam, Paul A. Raschky, and Russell Smyth
3 出处和链接
Department of Economics, Monash University, DISCUSSION PAPER 32/11
http://www.buseco.monash.edu.au/eco/research/papers/2011/3211longtermhealthislamraschkysmyth.pdf
4 摘要
There is much interest in the causes of several adverse health outcomes in middle and old age.In
searching for new explanations for adverse health outcomes later in life, researchers have started to
look beyond behavioural risk factors to examine the effect of shocks to health in utero and in
childhood on health in old age.In this paper we extend this literature to examine the long-term
health effects of mass political violence experienced in utero and in childhood using China’s
Cultural Revolution as a natural experiment. We find that individuals who were in utero in the
Cultural Revolution have reduced lung capacity later in life, but we find no evidence that being in
utero has adverse effects on other health indicators later in life. We find more evidence that being
an adolescent in the Cultural Revolution has an adverse effect on health later in life. Specifically,
we find that individuals who were adolescents in the Cultural Revolution have higher blood
pressure and reduced ability to engage in activities of daily living later in life. We also find that
males who were adolescents in the Cultural Revolution have reduced cognitive skills later in life,
while females who were adolescents in the Cultural Revolution have reduced lung capacity in
middle and old age.