Diabetes and the Life-Course: Evidence from Panel Data and Electronic Health Records

Diabetes diagnosis causes a temporary 13 percentage point increase in diagnosis rates and reduces labor-force participation by 20.6 percentage points in the two years following screening.

• Why it matters: Understanding the broader health and socioeconomic impacts of diabetes screening is crucial for evaluating its overall benefits and costs, yet evidence on these outcomes remains limited.
• What they did: Using a fuzzy regression discontinuity design, the study analyzes electronic health records from the AFC and longitudinal data from the HRS, focusing on diagnosis rates, prescriptions, and labor outcomes over time.
• The result: Findings indicate that diagnosis-related increases in clinical markers are short-lived, and while screening temporarily reduces work participation, it does not lead to increased retirement, highlighting potential short-term employment impacts of health screening.