@misc{10481/79340,
year = {2022},
month = {10},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/79340},
abstract = {Despite an increasing interest in the effect of health information on health-behaviours, evidence on the causal
impact of a diagnosis on lifestyle factors is still mixed and does not often account for long-term effects. We
explore the role of health information in individual health-related decisions by identifying the causal impact of a
type-2 diabetes diagnosis on body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle behaviours. We employ a fuzzy regression
discontinuity design (RDD) exploiting the exogenous cut-off value in the diagnosis of type-2 diabetes provided by
a biomarker (glycated haemoglobin) drawn from unique administrative longitudinal data from Spain. We find
that following a type-2 diabetes diagnosis individuals appear to reduce their weight in the short-term. Differently
from previous studies, we also provide evidence of statistically significant long-term impacts of a type-2 diabetes
diagnosis on BMI up to three years from the diagnosis. We do not find perceivable effects of a type-2 diabetes
diagnosis on quitting smoking or drinking. Overall, health information appears to have a sustained causal impact
on weight reduction, a key lifestyle and risk factor among individuals with type-2 diabetes.},
organization = {Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities	PID2019-105688RB-I00},
organization = {Ministry of Economics and Competitiveness	PID2020-114040RB-100},
organization = {Tomas y Valiente Fellowship - Madrid Institute for Advanced Study (MIAS)		
Comunidad de Madrid	SI1/PJI/2019-00326},
publisher = {Elsevier},
keywords = {Diabetes},
keywords = {Health information},
keywords = {Lifestyle behaviours},
keywords = {Body mass index},
keywords = {Regression discontinuity design},
keywords = {Administrative data},
title = {Does health information affect lifestyle behaviours? The impact of a diabetes diagnosis},
doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115420},
author = {Gaggero, Alessio and Jiménez Rubio, María Dolores},
}