Genetic mechanisms in the intergenerational transmission of health

J Health Econ. 2014 May:35:132-46. doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.02.003. Epub 2014 Mar 11.

Abstract

This paper uses a sample of adoptees to study the genetic mechanisms underlying intergenerational associations in chronic health conditions. I begin by estimating baseline intergenerational models with a sample of approximately 125,000 parent-child pairs, and find that children with a parent who has a specific chronic health condition are at least 100% more likely to have the same condition themselves. To assess the role of genetic mechanisms in generating these strong correlations, I estimate models using a sample of approximately 2400 adoptees, and find that genetic transmission accounts for only 20-30% of the baseline associations. As falsification tests, I repeat this exercise using health measures with externally established levels of genetic determination (height and chicken pox), and the results suggest that comparisons of biological and adopted children are a valid method of isolating genetic effects in this sample. Finally, to corroborate these adoptee-based estimates, I examine health correlations among monozygotic twins, which provide an upper bound estimate of genetic influences, and find a similarly modest role for genetic transmission. I conclude that intergenerational health transmission is an important hindrance to overall socioeconomic mobility, but that the majority of transmission occurs through environmental factors or gene-environment interactions, leaving scope for interventions to effectively mitigate health persistence.

Keywords: Adoptees; Genetics; Health transmission.

Publication types

  • Twin Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adoption*
  • Asthma / epidemiology
  • Asthma / etiology
  • Asthma / genetics
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Chronic Disease / epidemiology*
  • Diabetes Mellitus / epidemiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus / etiology
  • Diabetes Mellitus / genetics
  • Environment*
  • Family Health / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Headache Disorders / epidemiology
  • Headache Disorders / etiology
  • Headache Disorders / genetics
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Prevalence
  • Regression Analysis
  • Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / epidemiology
  • Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / etiology
  • Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / genetics
  • Social Class
  • Twins, Monozygotic / genetics*
  • United States / epidemiology