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来源类型 | Working Paper |
规范类型 | 报告 |
DOI | 10.3386/w19233 |
来源ID | Working Paper 19233 |
The Cognitive Effects of Micronutrient Deficiency: Evidence from Salt Iodization in the United States | |
James Feyrer; Dimitra Politi; David N. Weil | |
发表日期 | 2013-07-18 |
出版年 | 2013 |
语种 | 英语 |
摘要 | Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in the world today. The condition, which was common in the developed world until the introduction of iodized salt in the 1920s, is connected to low iodine levels in the soil and water. We examine the impact of salt iodization on cognitive outcomes in the US by taking advantage of this natural geographic variation. Salt was iodized over a very short period of time beginning in 1924. We use military data collected during WWI and WWII to compare outcomes of cohorts born before and after iodization, in localities that were naturally poor and rich in iodine. We find that for the one quarter of the population most deficient in iodine this intervention raised IQ by approximately one standard deviation. Our results can explain roughly one decade's worth of the upwardtrend in IQ in the US (the Flynn Effect). We also document a large increase in thyroid related deaths following the countrywide adoption of iodized salt, which affected mostly older individuals in localities with high prevalence of iodine deficiency. |
主题 | Health, Education, and Welfare ; Health ; Education ; Labor Economics ; Labor Supply and Demand ; History ; Labor and Health History |
URL | https://www.nber.org/papers/w19233 |
来源智库 | National Bureau of Economic Research (United States) |
引用统计 | |
资源类型 | 智库出版物 |
条目标识符 | http://119.78.100.153/handle/2XGU8XDN/576907 |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | James Feyrer,Dimitra Politi,David N. Weil. The Cognitive Effects of Micronutrient Deficiency: Evidence from Salt Iodization in the United States. 2013. |
条目包含的文件 | 条目无相关文件。 |
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