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The long-term health benefits of receiving treatment from qualified midwives at birth

Lazuka, Volha LU (2018) In Journal of Development Economics 133. p.415-433
Abstract
This paper explores the long-term effects of being born with the assistance of a qualified midwife on health and skills, using longitudinal register-based data for individuals born in rural Swedish parishes between 1881 and 1930 and followed from birth until age 80. In the setting of home deliveries, midwives strictly followed hygiene instructions and monitored the health of the mothers and newborns for 3 weeks after birth, and the study observes these individual-level treatments. The results from empirical strategies controlling for observables, using instrumental variables and mother fixed effects are consistent. This paper first finds that treatment by qualified midwives at birth reduced neonatal mortality. It further concludes that... (More)
This paper explores the long-term effects of being born with the assistance of a qualified midwife on health and skills, using longitudinal register-based data for individuals born in rural Swedish parishes between 1881 and 1930 and followed from birth until age 80. In the setting of home deliveries, midwives strictly followed hygiene instructions and monitored the health of the mothers and newborns for 3 weeks after birth, and the study observes these individual-level treatments. The results from empirical strategies controlling for observables, using instrumental variables and mother fixed effects are consistent. This paper first finds that treatment by qualified midwives at birth reduced neonatal mortality. It further concludes that individuals treated by qualified midwives at birth had substantially lower mortality from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at ages 40–80 and that males had lower morbidity and better skills at ages 19–21 than those treated by traditional birth attendants. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
early-life, qualified midwifery, health, skills, life-course, Sweden
in
Journal of Development Economics
volume
133
pages
19 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85045029926
ISSN
0304-3878
DOI
10.1016/j.jdeveco.2018.03.007
project
Landskrona Population Study
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
cea30701-4474-489f-a490-ccfe288876d8
date added to LUP
2018-04-05 14:23:05
date last changed
2024-05-02 11:45:00
@article{cea30701-4474-489f-a490-ccfe288876d8,
  abstract     = {{This paper explores the long-term effects of being born with the assistance of a qualified midwife on health and skills, using longitudinal register-based data for individuals born in rural Swedish parishes between 1881 and 1930 and followed from birth until age 80. In the setting of home deliveries, midwives strictly followed hygiene instructions and monitored the health of the mothers and newborns for 3 weeks after birth, and the study observes these individual-level treatments. The results from empirical strategies controlling for observables, using instrumental variables and mother fixed effects are consistent. This paper first finds that treatment by qualified midwives at birth reduced neonatal mortality. It further concludes that individuals treated by qualified midwives at birth had substantially lower mortality from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes at ages 40–80 and that males had lower morbidity and better skills at ages 19–21 than those treated by traditional birth attendants.}},
  author       = {{Lazuka, Volha}},
  issn         = {{0304-3878}},
  keywords     = {{early-life; qualified midwifery; health; skills; life-course; Sweden}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{415--433}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Development Economics}},
  title        = {{The long-term health benefits of receiving treatment from qualified midwives at birth}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/68032857/Lazuka_Long_term_midwifery_2018_pre_print.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jdeveco.2018.03.007}},
  volume       = {{133}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}