Intergenerational health mobility: an empirical approach based on the ECHP

Abstract

Despite the importance of the study of health mobility, few attempts have been made to measure intergenerational mobility not only in the European Union but also in other countries such as United States. This paper is focused on the study of intergenerational health mobility using data from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). In particular, the relationships between self-assessed health of parents and their sons are analysed. The evidence obtained suggests that, in Spain, sons’ reported health depends significantly on the self-assessed health of their fathers.