Back to school: The effect of school visits during COVID-19 on COVID-19 outcomes

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Health Economics
Year: 2025
Volume: 102
Issue: C

Authors (4)

Bravata, Dena (not in RePEc) Cantor, Jonathan (not in RePEc) Sood, Neeraj (University of Southern Califor...) Whaley, Christopher (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

The effects of school closures on COVID-19 transmission remain unclear, even after the conclusion of the national Public Health Emergency. We use healthcare claims data from 130 million household-week observations linked to smartphone mobility data to measure the effects of changes in county-level visits to schools on COVID-19 outcomes. We use a triple-differences approach that leverages within-county differences in exposure between families with and without school-age children and find modest impacts. We find increases in COVID-19 infection rates, with larger differences in low-income and higher COVID-19 prevalence counties.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jhecon:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s0167629625000608
Journal Field
Health
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-29