Childhood Origins Of Intergenerational Health Mobility In The United States

Policy makers and parents should share a goal that all children have opportunities to thrive, regardless of their circumstances at birth. Studies that focus on socioeconomic measures of opportunities for thriving measure intergenerational mobility, or the extent to which children's outcomes can diverge from those of their parents. We bring this focus to the study of children's health by estimating intergenerational health mobility during early childhood in a national sample. We find that children in families characterized as minorities, those without health insurance, or those with low socioeconomic status experience less upward health mobility and greater downward health mobility. We also show that community characteristics may shape health mobility. For example, children growing up in places with high proportions of uninsured residents are less likely to experience upward health mobility and more likely to experience downward health mobility. These descriptive findings may allow new insights into ways in which children's health can be decoupled from their circumstances at birth.