Work

Evidence for the Role of State-Level Economic Policy in HIV Risk Reduction: State Earned Income Tax Credit Generosity and HIV Risk Behavior Among Single Mothers

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: We investigated the impact of State-level Earned Income Tax Credit (SEITC) generosity on HIV risk behavior among single mothers with low education. We merged individual-level data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2002-2018) with state-level data from the University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research and conducted a multi-state, multi-year difference-in-differences (DID) analysis. We found that a refundable SEITC ≥ 10% of the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit was associated with 21% relative risk reduction in reporting any high-risk behavior for HIV in the last year, relative to no SEITC. We also found that a 10-percentage point increase in SEITC generosity was associated with 38% relative risk reduction in reporting any high-risk HIV behavior in the last year. SEITC policy may be an important strategy to reduce the burden of HIV infections among women with low socioeconomic status, particularly single mothers.

Source: AIDS and Behavior

DOI: 10.1007/s10461-022-03754-x

Authors: Kimberly Danae Cauley Narain, Nina Harawa

Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

Language: English

Topic: HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, No poverty

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,190