Health outcomes in early adulthood: Is it nature or nurture? .

摘要

The nature and nurture of health outcomes is important because of the personal and societal implications of poor health. We use three data sets of adopted children to determine the relative importance of genetics and family environment for health outcomes in early adulthood. Unsurprisingly, we find that health has a large genetic component. However, socioeconomic status of the adoptive family can play a significant role as well. We also find that health in middle age is adversely affected by poor health in early adulthood.