Economics Seminar- "Long-term Impacts of Routine Health Examinations in Early Childhood"

This paper examines the long-term impact on adult income of a pediatric healthcare program offering routine health checkups with growth monitoring to infants and preschool children (from birth to age six) in China. Using data on a county-by-county rollout of the Systematic Management of Children (SMC) from local gazetteers, we find that full exposure to SMC from birth increases later-life earnings by 5%. The changes are mainly from hourly wage increases rather than hours worked. We further provide evidence of several underlying mechanisms, including improved physical and mental health, better educational outcomes, increased cognitive skills, and sustained use of preventative care.