Overview

Individuals themselves rarely make choices in isolation. Rather, their lives are linked to the lives of others who may influence their health in various ways. Previous research has highlighted that there are many aspects of linked lives that could be expected to have repercussions for health and well-being. Of particular interest for this study is whether parents in the UK and other European countries derive a health benefit from having well-educated adult children. With educational expansion and the encouragement of strong intergenerational relations, there may be an opportunity to reduce the public health burden, as well as health inequalities, within ageing societies. In this context, the importance of children's socioeconomic resources for parents also extends current health policy debates, which emphasise individual interventions, by adding a multigenerational family perspective. The study contributes to this agenda by investigating the evidence for upward intergenerational transfers relating to parents' health and longevity.