(2025). Pediatric Drug Adherence and Parental Attention: Evidence from Comprehensive Claims DataNBER Working Paper 30968. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Using comprehensive U.S. drug claims data, we show that pediatric drug adherence declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on asthma, we find that young children exhibited a 40 percent decrease in adherence by the end of 2020. The responses were less negative for older children and positive for adults. We provide evidence that parental attention played a key role in driving this decrease, even accounting for air quality changes, school closures, and other socioeconomic and COVID-related factors. Policy implications for future macroeconomic shocks are discussed.
https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w30968/revisions/w30968.rev2.pdf
