Kehrer, Barbara H., and Charles M. Wolin. 1979. "Impact of Income Maintenance on Low Birth Weight: Evidence from the Gary Experiment." Journal of Human Resources 14(4):434-462.

Birth weight is a useful index of infant health. Low birth weight (5.5 pounds or less) is associated with high rates of infant mortality and morbidity. Low birth weight is also associated with low socioeconomic status. The question arises, therefore, whether income transfers can affect the incidence of low birth weight among the poor. The impact of an expanded income support plan on low birth weight was analyzed using data on 404 infants born to participants in the Gary Income Maintenance Experiment. A significant health response was observed for children of women who face high-risk pregnancies.

The authors are Senior Economists, Mathematica Policy Research. This paper reports on research performed at Mathematica Policy Research under Contract No. HEW-100-76-0073, from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. A longer version of the paper, under the same title, appears as MPR Working Paper #A-17 (September 1977), and was presented to the Population Association of America, Atlanta, April 15, 1978. The authors are grateful to the Indiana State Board of Health for giving us access to their vital records. We also wish to acknowledge the insightful suggestions of Kenneth C. Kehrer, Albert Fishlow, Robinson Hollister, Larry Manheim, Robert Moffitt, James Ohls, and Douglas Wolf. Matthew Pavuk and Anne Mozer provided excellent research assistance, and Etheline Calbert collected the birth records data used in the study.

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