Universal infant health interventions and young adult outcomes

Three recent studies have documented short- and long-run benefits of early-infancy health interventions in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark: Universal nurse home visiting (NHV) and well-baby center care decreased infant mortality and positively impacted long-run survival (DK, S), morbidity (DK, N), and educational and labor market outcomes (N). Using Danish conscription data, this paper examines intermediate outcomes to assess both potential mechanisms and the importance of selective survival for the long-run health effects of NHV. We do not find strong effects of NHV for young adult's height or obesity status, but we find that NHV increases treated individuals' probability of emigration. As emigrants in our sample are positively selected and as they are not part of the samples used in long-run analyses, this finding suggests that the established long-run health benefits of NHV may be lower bounds.