Working Paper: NBER ID: w28116
Authors: Kamila Cyganrehm; Krzysztof Karbownik
Abstract: We investigated the effects of the timing of early prenatal care on infant health by exploiting a reform that required expectant mothers to initiate prenatal care during the first ten weeks of gestation to obtain a one-time monetary transfer paid after childbirth. Applying a difference-in-differences design to individual-level data on the population of births and fetal deaths, we identified small but statistically significant positive effects of the policy on neonatal health. We further provide suggestive evidence that improved maternal health-related knowledge and behaviors during pregnancy are plausible channels through which the reform might have affected fetal health.
Keywords: prenatal care; infant health; public policy; financial incentives
JEL Codes: I12; I18; J13
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Timing of prenatal care (J13) | neonatal health (I14) |
| Policy implementation (D78) | timing of prenatal care (J13) |
| Improved maternal health-related knowledge and behaviors (I10) | neonatal health (I14) |
| Financial conditionality (F34) | neonatal health (I14) |
| Timing of prenatal care (J13) | Improved maternal health-related knowledge and behaviors (I10) |
| Policy implementation (D78) | Improved maternal health-related knowledge and behaviors (I10) |