Working Paper: NBER ID: w24691
Authors: Anna V. Chorniy; Janet Currie; Lyudmyla Sonchak
Abstract: Large literatures document positive effects of WIC on birth outcomes, and separately connect health at birth and future outcomes. But little research investigates the link between prenatal WIC participation and childhood outcomes. We explore this question using a unique data set from South Carolina which links administrative birth, Medicaid, and education records. We find that relative to their siblings, prenatal WIC participants have a lower incidence of ADHD and other common childhood mental health conditions and of grade repetition. These findings demonstrate that a “WIC start” results in persistent improvements in child outcomes across a range of domains.
Keywords: WIC; Child Outcomes; Prenatal Participation; ADHD; Mental Health
JEL Codes: I18; I38
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| prenatal WIC participation (I38) | lower probability of being diagnosed with ADHD (J79) |
| prenatal WIC participation (I38) | lower probability of being diagnosed with other common childhood mental health conditions (I12) |
| prenatal WIC participation (I38) | lower likelihood of grade repetition (I21) |