Working Paper: NBER ID: w17996
Authors: Carolyn M. Moehling; Melissa A. Thomasson
Abstract: From 1922 to 1929, the Sheppard-Towner Act provided matching grants to states to fund maternal and infant care education initiatives. We examine the effects of this public health program on infant mortality. States engaged in different types of activities, allowing us to examine whether different interventions had differential effects on mortality. Interventions that provided one-on-one contact and opportunities for follow-up care, such as home visits by public health nurses, reduced infant deaths more than classes and conferences. Overall, we estimate that Sheppard-Towner activities can account for 9 to 21 percent of the decline in infant mortality over the period.
Keywords: infant mortality; public health; Sheppard-Towner Act; maternal care; health interventions
JEL Codes: H51; I18; N32
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Sheppard-Towner Act (I19) | infant mortality rates (J13) |
| home visits by public health nurses (I14) | infant mortality rates (J13) |
| health centers construction (L74) | infant mortality rates (J13) |
| distribution of prenatal letters (J13) | infant mortality rates (J13) |
| home visits by public health nurses (I14) | nonwhite infant mortality rates (J15) |
| home visits by public health nurses (I14) | white infant mortality rates (J13) |