Relative age for grade and adolescent risky health behavior

Eva Rye Johansen

This paper uses Danish register data to examine the effect of relative age for grade on women’s risky health behavior. I exploit an administrative rule that creates a discontinuous jump in relative age for grade for children born around January 1. Being young-for-grade leads to a higher probability of an abortion and alcohol poisoning in adolescence and earlier births, cohabitation and contraceptive use. The results show how relative age for grade is a determinant of adolescent women’s risky sex and heavy drinking. For men, being young-for-grade have no effect on alcohol poisonings, fatherhood and cohabitation.  

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