Abstract
Objective
We examined whether the largest U.S. poverty alleviation program for families, the
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), has different associations with birthweight among
women of different racial backgrounds.
Design
We analyzed data from the 1985–2015 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a
longitudinal cohort study of U.S. families (N = 5,230 infants born to 3,672 women). The primary outcome was a continuous measure
of birthweight, with secondary outcomes including low birthweight (LBW) and very LBW.
Using rich sociodemographic data available in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics,
we calculated the amount of EITC benefit for which women were eligible. We then examined
the association of EITC benefit size with each outcome using multivariable regressions,
examining the sample overall as well as racial subgroups (White, Black, or other).
Results
We found that larger EITC benefits were not associated with increased infant birthweight
for the overall sample (18.37 g per $1,000 of EITC; 95% confidence interval [CI],
−2.62 to 33.36). There was an increase in birthweight for Black women (40.17 g; 95%
CI: 7.32 to 73.02), but not for White women (−1.86 g; 95% CI, −33.33 to 29.60) or
women of other races (−13.26 g; 95% CI, −75.90 to 49.38). There was no association
between EITC benefit size and the probability of LBW or very LBW. Results were robust
to alternative model specifications.
Conclusions
Social policies to address poverty may be effective at decreasing racial disparities
in birthweight. Future work should examine potential mechanisms and the benefits of
improved health outcomes for children later in life.
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Biography
Akansha Batra, MS, is a doctoral student at the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco. She is passionate to evaluate how social and economic policies address health disparities and their effect on mental health.
Biography
Deborah Karasek, PhD, is an assistant professor in the UCSF School of Medicine. Her research applies a health equity lens to explore how economic and social policy impact the health and wellbeing of pregnant women and their families.
Biography
Rita Hamad, MD, PhD, is an associate professor in the UCSF Department of Family & Community Medicine and Institute for Health Policy Studies. As a social epidemiologist and family physician, she examines social policies' effects on health disparities across the lifespan.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 12, 2021
Accepted:
September 13,
2021
Received in revised form:
September 10,
2021
Received:
November 27,
2020
Footnotes
The authors have no conflict of interest.
Funding Statement: Supported by the National Institutes of Health, United States (grant number K08 HL132106), the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, United States, and the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative. The collection of Panel Study of Income Dynamics data used in this study was partly supported by the National Institutes of Health, United States (grant number R01 HD069609 & R01 AG040213), and the National Science Foundation, United States (award numbers SES 1157698 & 1623684).
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, George Washington University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
