National Poverty Center Working Paper Series Did the Introduction of Food Stamps Affect Birth Outcomes in California? Did the Introduction of Food Stamps Affect Birth Outcomes in California?

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Poverty Center or any sponsoring agency. Foundation for financial support. The California Department of Health graciously provided the data on infant health, but we are solely responsible for the analysis and conclusions drawn from it. Introduction Do welfare programs that raise the income of poor mothers affect infant mortality? Over the 1960s, U.S. infant mortality fell dramatically. The white rate fell from 23 to 17 per 1,000, while the African-American rate fell from 43 to 32 per 1,000. These declines are coincident with the introduction of federal transfer programs including Medicaid and the Food Stamp Program (FSP). But it is not clear whether there is an actual link between welfare programs and improvements in infant mortality. While there is little doubt that improving maternal nutrition can lead to healthier babies, it is less clear that the introduction of a program like the FSP will have significant effects either on maternal nutrition, or infant health outcomes. To the extent that transfers made under the FSP are fungible, they may or may not lead to improvements in nutrition. It is possible, for example, that FSP transfers could lead to increases in smoking or alcohol consumption. Even if the FSP improves maternal nutrition, it is possible to have negative effects on average measured infant health. For example, if more unhealthy fetuses survive, or if fertility increases among those women who are most likely to have poor birth outcomes, average infant health could decline. Hence, the effect of the FSP is theoretically ambiguous and must be examined empirically. Almond and Chay (2003) find that the narrowing of the gap in infant mortality between blacks and whites was concentrated in the South, and coincided with the introduction of Medicaid and FSP. However, the hypothesis that declines in mortality were related to the introduction of specific programs has not been directly tested. This paper uses individual-level data from birth certificates in California to assess the impact of the introduction of the Food Stamp Program (FSP) on fertility, the probability of fetal survival, and the incidence of low birth weight. The FSP was introduced on a county-by-county basis in California, and we argue that in many cases the exact timing of its introduction was beyond the control of the local authorities. Hence, …