The Long Run Impacts of Early Life Events III

This conference on the 'Long-run Impacts of Early Life Events,' brought together leading researchers to engage in a broad discussion of new findings and avenues for future research in this area.  The conference featured paper and poster presentations from a range of scientific disciplines, including economics, demography, epidemiology, and human development.

It was the third in a series of conferences examining the long-run impact of early life events and highlighting the importance of this emerging area of study.  The goal of these conferences has been to accelerate the pace of research on this topic and improve our understanding about the nature and pathways by which these effects arise; to raise awareness in the research and policy communities about the long-run impact of early life investments; and to facilitate stronger communications and collaboration among researchers from various disciplines who are working on this topic. 

To date, scientists from psychology, sociology, economics, history, public health, and medicine have all made significant contributions to this literature.  However, these literatures rarely intersect; parallel literatures have grown up within each discipline without full understanding and recognition of the contributions of each.  The events in early life and the long run outcomes in late life examined across these disciplines are most often highly correlated.  As a result, science would benefit from direct collaboration between scientists with expertise in these different domains, or at a minimum recognition of the related literatures in this area.

Sponsors and Organizers

This conference was jointly sponsored by the National Poverty Center at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, the Center for Human Potential and Public Policy at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy Studies, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics through a grant from the National Institute on Aging, and the Network on Effects of Early Life Conditions on Aging of the Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging. 

It was organized by Robert Schoeni, University of Michigan, Ariel Kalil, University of Chicago, and Thomas McDade, Northwestern University.

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Agenda and Conference Presentations

Thursday, May 5
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM	Welcome and Introduction Robert Schoeni, University of Michigan
10:15 AM - 11 AM	The Gender Gap in Healthy Life Expectancy: Does Women's Longer Life in Worse Health Compared to Men Originate in Early Life? Mark Hayward, Jennifer Karas Montez, and Dustin C. Brown, University of Texas - Austin
11 AM - 11:15 AM	Break
11:15 AM - 12 PM	Early Childhood Poverty and Adult Productivity and Health Greg J. Duncan, University of California - Irvine, Ariel Kalil, University of Chicago and Kathleen M. Ziol-Guest, Cornell University
12:00 AM - 12:45 PM	The Effect of the Business Cycle at the Time of Birth on Cognitive Functioning Later in Life Gabriele Doblhammer, University of Rostock
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM	Lunch
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM	Paternal and Maternal Age and Their Effects on Adult Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Ken Smith, University of Utah
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM	Fasting During Pregnancy and Children's Academic Performance Bhash Mazumder, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Douglas Almond Columbia University, and Reyn Van Ewijk, VU University Amsterdam
3:30 PM - 3:45 PM	Break
3:45 PM - 4:30 PM	The Biological Residue of Early-Life Socioeconomic Adversity Greg Miller, University of British Columbia - Vancouver
4:30 PM - 5:45 PM	Break
4:45 PM - 6:00 PM	Poster Session Race Differences in Stress during Pregnancy:  A Mechanism for Prenatal Origins of Health Disparities? Elizabeth Sweet, Thom McDade, and Chris Kuzawa, Northwestern University Childhood Misfortune and Adult Health:  Enduring Effects on Somatic and Psychological Symptoms? Ken Ferraro and Markus Schafer, Purdue University Childhood Morbidity and Health in Early Adulthood: Life Course Linkages in Guatemala Rachel Margolis, University of Pennsylvania Childhood Socioeconomic Status Influences Health Among Offspring Hannah Schreier, University of British Columbia - Vancouver Chill Out, Mom: Extreme Cold Induced Maternal Stress in Utero and Later Outcomes Charles Stoecker, University of California - Davis Discrimination Begins in the Womb: Evidence of Sex-selective Prenatal Investments Prashant Bharadwaj and Leah K. Nelson, University of California - San Diego Early Origins of Mortality and Fertility among Siblings: Prenatal Exposures to Drought and Food Shortages among Early Utah Pioneers Heidi Hanson and Ken Smith, University of Utah The Effects of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Ability on the Height Premium Andreas Schick, Ohio State University The Effect of Maternal Stress on Birth Outcomes: Exploiting a Natural Experiment Florencia Torche, New York University The Effects of Skipping Breakfast by Pregnant Mothers on the Sex Ratio at Birth Bhash Mazumder, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Zachary Seeskin Functional Somatic Syndromes and Childhood Physical Abuse in Women: Data from a Representative Community-based Sample Esme Fuller-Thomson, Joanne Sulman, Sarah Brennenstuhl, and Moeza Merchant, University of Toronto Gender Differences in the Early Life Origins of Midlife Functional Limitations Jennifer Montez, University of Texas - Austin The Long-Run Effects of Early Childhood Housing Instability Kathleen M. Ziol-Guest, Cornell University and Ariel Kalil, University of Chicago  Scheduled Versus Demand Feeding of Infants: Maternal Wellbeing and Child Cognitive Outcomes Maria Iacovou, University of Essex Social Influences on the Gut Microbiome Amita Kapoor, University of Wisconsin – Madison War, Marriage and Children's Human Capital Marianne Page, University of California – Davis
6:30 PM	Dinner
Friday, May 6
9:00 AM - 9:45 AM	Developmental Origins of Health Disparities Chris Kuzawa, Northwestern University
9:45 AM - 10:00 AM	Break
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM	Developmental Origins of Immune Health and Vulnerabilities Christopher Coe, University of Wisconsin - Madison
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM	Break
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM	New Findings about the Relation between Childhood Health on Adult Well-being Alberto Palloni, University of Wisconsin - Madison
11:45 AM - 12:45 AM	Lunch
12:45 AM - 1:30 PM	School Quality and the Long-Run Effects of Head Start Rucker Johnson, University of California – Berkeley
1:30 PM - 1:45 PM	Break
1:45 PM - 2:30 PM	Severe Childhood Deprivation and Wealth Accumulation: American Slaves and Post-Emancipation Blacks Richard Steckel, Ohio State University
2:30 PM	Closing Remarks Ariel Kalil, University of Chicago

Related Resources
The Long-run Impacts of Early Life Events I
December 13 – 14, 2007
http://npc.umich.edu/news/events/early_life/index.php

The Long-run Impacts of Early Life Events II
March 12 – 13, 2009
http://npc.umich.edu/news/events/early_life_2009/index.php

Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)
http://psidonline.isr.umich.edu/

Center for Human Potential and Public Policy at The Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/centers/chppp/

Network on the Effects of Early Life Conditions on Aging, Michigan Center on the Demography of Aging
http://micda.psc.isr.umich.edu/networks/eelca.html