Working Paper: NBER ID: w1966
Authors: Theodore Joyce
Abstract: Relatively high birth rates among black adolescents and \nunmarried women as well as inadequate access to medical care are \nconsidered primary reasons why the black neonatal mortality rate \nis almost double that of whites. Using household production \ntheory, this paper examines the determinants of input utilization \nand estimates the impact of utilization on the survival of black \ninfants across large counties in the U.S. in 1977. The results \nindicate that expanding the availability of family planning \nclinics increases the number of teenagers served resulting in a \nlower neonatal mortality rate. Accessibility to abortion services \noperates in a similar manner. Moreover, the use of neonatal \nintensive care, which is strongly related to its availability, is \nan important determinant of newborn survivability whereas the \ninitiation of early prenatal care is not. Overall, the results \nsuggest that lowering the incidence of low weight and preterm \nbirths among blacks by helping women to avoid an unwanted birth, \nmay be the moat cost-effective way of improving black infant \nhealth.
Keywords: neonatal mortality; health inputs; family planning; abortion; black infants
JEL Codes: I12; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| availability of family planning clinics (J13) | number of teenagers served (J13) |
| number of teenagers served (J13) | neonatal mortality rate (J13) |
| availability of abortion services (J13) | neonatal mortality rate (J13) |
| neonatal intensive care (J13) | newborn survivability (J13) |
| early prenatal care (J13) | neonatal mortality (J13) |
| availability of family planning and abortion services (J13) | incidence of low birth weight and preterm births (J13) |
| utilization of neonatal intensive care (J13) | survival rates (C41) |