Health and Aging in Mexico

Researchers in the social sciences have long been concerned with the impact of socioeconomic status (and its main components education and income) on long-run health outcomes and general well-being. Conditions at childhood especially are linked to increased human capital acquisition, better health outcomes in adulthood and higher adult incomes. Thus, elderly health outcomes should be influenced by conditions at childhood, in addition to education and income. Evidence from developing countries is however scarce, despite a high income health gradient relative to developed countries. In this paper, we utilize the Mexican Health and Aging Survey (MHAS) to explore this question. Specifically, using the MHAS panel of Mexican individuals aged 50 and above, we examine whether the transition from good health in 2001 to good health in 2003 is affected by the conditions under which the individual lived at the age of 10, accounting for other factors such as education, income and local conditions. The results suggest that individuals with higher levels of income and from higher childhood socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to remain in good health, conditional on being in good health in 2001. JEL Codes: