Topic: Care or self-care? The impact of informal care provision on health behavior

Speaker: Peter Eibich, Research Scientist and Deputy Head, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)

Time: Sept. 10 (Friday), 2021, 20:00 Beijing time

Language： English

Abstract:

This study examines the impact of informal care provision on carer’s health behaviour in England using data on men and women aged 40-69 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) covering the period 2002-2017. I evaluate the validity of several instrumental variables for care provision suggested in the literature. I find little evidence of negative effects of informal care provision on health behaviour. The preferred instrumental variable specifications suggest that informal caregivers are more likely to exercise, and women providing care are less likely to smoke.