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Soaking Up the Sun: The Role of Sunshine in the Production of Infant Health

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Trudeau

    (Sacred Heart University)

  • Karen Smith Conway

    (University of New Hampshire)

  • Andrea Kutinova Menclova

    (University of Canterbury)

Abstract

This research explores the role of sunshine in birth outcomes production, focusing primarily on fetal growth. The most obvious mechanism is through vitamin D absorption, which could explain racial disparities in birth weight because skin pigmentation inhibits this process. However, sunshine may have additional effects and is closely connected to environmental factors, season of birth, and geography. Combining daily weather data with 1989–2004 birth outcomes from the Natality Detail Files, we estimate sunshine's effects in a range of models that disentangle these confounding factors. Our results suggest that sunshine has a positive but diminishing effect on birth weight for blacks and a negative effect for whites. These findings are consistent with the presumed positive but diminishing effects of sunshine via vitamin D balanced against the possible negative effects via folic acid depletion and immune system impairment. The estimated magnitudes are in line with those found for other key factors such as feeding programs and air pollution and suggest that sunshine's effects explain a nontrivial portion of racial differences in birth weight. Implications include possible interventions (vitamin supplementation for blacks, sun avoidance for whites) and the need to include sunshine as a potentially important factor in birth outcomes research.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Trudeau & Karen Smith Conway & Andrea Kutinova Menclova, 2016. "Soaking Up the Sun: The Role of Sunshine in the Production of Infant Health," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(1), pages 1-40, Winter.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:amjhec:v:2:y:2016:i:1:p:1-40
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    Cited by:

    1. Slusky, David J.G. & Zeckhauser, Richard J., 2021. "Sunlight and Protection Against Influenza," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    2. Hope Corman & Dhaval Dave & Nancy E. Reichman, 2018. "Evolution of the Infant Health Production Function," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 85(1), pages 6-47, July.
    3. Nguyen, Ha Trong & Le, Huong Thu & Connelly, Luke B., 2018. "Rain, rain, go away: Weather and children’s time allocation," MPRA Paper 85731, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Tushar Bharati & Samuel Rapeport, 2021. "How Smart is SunSmart? Skin Cancer Information Campaigns, Sunlight Exposure, and Asthma in Australia," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 21-04, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    5. Zhang, Xin & Wang, Yixuan & Chen, Xi & Zhang, Xun, 2019. "Prenatal Sunshine Exposure and Birth Outcomes in China," IZA Discussion Papers 12877, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Nils Wernerfelt & David J. G. Slusky & Richard Zeckhauser, 2017. "Second Trimester Sunlight and Asthma: Evidence from Two Independent Studies," American Journal of Health Economics, MIT Press, vol. 3(2), pages 227-253, Spring.
    7. Christian Dustmann & Uta Schoenberg & Malte Sandner, 2022. "The effects of sun intensity during pregnancy and in the first 12 months of life on childhood obesity," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2215, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    8. Ha Trong Nguyen & Huong Thu Le & Luke B Connelly, 2021. "Weather and children's time allocation," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(7), pages 1559-1579, July.
    9. Tamás Hajdu & Gábor Hajdu, 2020. "Temperature, climate change and birth weight: Evidence from Hungary," CERS-IE WORKING PAPERS 2032, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    10. Miller, Ray, 2017. "Childhood Health and Prenatal Exposure to Seasonal Food Scarcity in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 350-376.
    11. Conway, Karen Smith & Trudeau, Jennifer, 2019. "Sunshine, fertility and racial disparities," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 18-39.
    12. Scott Alan Carson, 2020. "Net nutrition, insolation, mortality, and the antebellum paradox," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 77-98, July.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    health; sunshine; infant; birth outcomes; environment; race; research;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I19 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Other
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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