title: Understanding the effect of retirement on health: Mechanisms and heterogeneity.
abstract: This paper investigates the mechanisms behind the health effects of retirement. Using a Regression Discontinuity Design to exploit financial incentives in the German pension system for identification, I find that retirement improves subjective health status and mental health, while also reducing outpatient care utilization. I explore a wide range of health behaviors, time use, and effect heterogeneity as potential mechanisms. Relief from work-related stress and strain, increased sleep duration as well as more frequent physical exercise seem to be key mechanisms through which retirement affects health.
authors.affiliation: DIW Berlin, Mohrenstrasse 58, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department for Population Health, University of Oxford, UK; University of Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: peter.eibich@dph.ox.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eibich
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D015438:Health Behavior; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012179:Retirement / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Health; Health behavior; Healthcare; Regression Discontinuity Design; Retirement