Working Paper: NBER ID: w26749
Authors: Engy Ziedan; Robert Kaestner
Abstract: Prescription opioid use among women of reproductive age and pregnant women is relatively common. In this article, we examine whether state opioid control policies affected prescription opioid use and, in turn, infant health and maternal behaviors. We conduct several types of analyses including reduced form analyses of the effect of state policies on infant health and maternal behaviors, and instrumental variables analyses of the effects of prescription opioid use on infant health and maternal behaviors. Results from our analysis suggest that reductions in prescription opioid use because of state prescription opioid control policies have improved infant health modestly at the population level with larger implied effects at the individual level.
Keywords: Prescription opioids; Infant health; Maternal behaviors; State policies; Opioid control
JEL Codes: I12; I18; J1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Prescription opioid use (I12) | Infant health outcomes (I14) |
| Prescription opioid control policies (Z28) | Reduction in prescription opioid use (L42) |
| Reduction in prescription opioid use (L42) | Improvements in infant health outcomes (I14) |
| Reduction in prescription opioid use (L42) | Improvement in prenatal care (J13) |
| Reduction in prescription opioid use (L42) | Decrease in inadequate prenatal care (J13) |
| Adoption of modern PDMPs or pill mill laws (J18) | Reduction in prescription opioid use (L42) |