The Impact of Parental and Own Unemployment on the Health of Adolescents in Portugal: Evidence From the Epiteen Cohort

Erica Reinhard , King's College London / Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam
Ana Isabel Ribeiro, University of Porto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine, and Public Health
Sílvia Fraga, University of Porto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine, and Public Health
Emilie Courtin, Harvard University
Henrique Barros, University of Porto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Predictive Medicine, and Public Health
Mauricio Avendano, King's College London / Harvard University

Research suggests that experiences of unemployment during adolescence have negative impacts on health, but few studies have used biomarkers to detect potential subclinical changes in health not captured by self-reported measures. In this study, we examine the impact of parental and own unemployment on biomarkers and anthropometric outcomes using data from a cohort of adolescents assessed before and after the onset of the Great Recession in Portugal. Using fixed effects models to control for time-invariant confounding, we find that father’s unemployment is associated with increases in triglyceride levels, fat mass, and waist to height ratio, while adolescent unemployment is associated with an increase in triglyceride levels. Sub-group analyses by sex reveal that father’s unemployment has a stronger impact on females than males. Our results suggest that both parental and own unemployment during adolescence may influence health through nutrition related pathways and increase the risk of chronic disease later in life.

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 Presented in Session 5. Health & Mortality 1