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The Impact of Childhood Health and Cognition on Portfolio Choice

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The Individual and the Welfare State

Abstract

Childhood health is by now recognized to influence future educational and economic outcomes. Children who experience poorer childhood health have significantly lower educational attainment, poorer health, and lower socioeconomic status as adults (Case et al. 2005; Currie 2009). For example, Case and Paxson (2008) investigated the relationship between height (as indicator for early health and socio-economic status), cognitive functions and health status at older ages and found that taller individuals (considered to be healthier and wealthier during childhood) have greater cognitive skills on average, report significantly fewer difficulties with activities of daily living, and are in considerably better physical and mental health.

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Correspondence to Dimitris Christelis .

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Christelis, D., Dobrescu, L., Motta, A. (2011). The Impact of Childhood Health and Cognition on Portfolio Choice. In: Börsch-Supan, A., Brandt, M., Hank, K., Schröder, M. (eds) The Individual and the Welfare State. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17472-8_5

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