Welfare and Child Health: the Link Between AFDC Participation and Birth Weight
Year: 1992
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The stated goal of the Aid for Families with Dependent Children program is to improve the well-being of children in poor families. The program has come under considerable attack in recent years from critics who argue that participation in AFDC is associated with maternal behaviors that are bad for children. We investigate this question using birth weight as a measure of child health. We find that participation in AFDC during pregnancy is associated with delays in obtaining prenatal care, smoking and drinking during pregnancy, younger maternal age at the birth, and ultimately with lower birth weights even when observable characteristics of the mother are controlled for. However, we show that when unobservable characteristics of the mother are controlled for, there is actually a positive association between participation in AFDC and the birth weights of children of white women from poor families. We find no association between birth weight and maternal participation in AFDC among black children.
Source: American Economic Review
Authors: Janet Currie, Nancy Cole
Language: English
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1607042229