We use data from a sample of adoptees born in Sweden to study to what extent the association between parental educational attainments and adult health of the child can be attributed to pre- or post-birth factors. We find significant and equal sized associations between the educational attainment of both the adopting as well as the biological parents and child health outcomes as adults, suggesting that growing up in a better-educated household has long-term effects on health outcomes, although to an about 50 percent less extent than suggested by the association obtained from data on children raised by their biological parents.

Björkegren, E., Lindahl, M., Palme, M., & Simeonova, E. (2024). Decomposing the Parental Education Gradient in Health: Lessons from a Large Sample of Adoptees.