Effects of income on infant health: Evidence from the expanded child tax credit and pandemic stimulus checks

Wei Lyu, George L. Wehby and Robert Kaestner

Journal of Health Economics, 2025, vol. 101, issue C

Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government issued stimulus checks and expanded the child tax credit. These payments varied by marital status and the number of children in the household. We exploit this plausibly exogenous variation in income during pregnancy to obtain estimates of the effect of income on infant health. Data are from birth certificates and the sample focuses on mothers with high school or less education. The main estimates indicate that pandemic cash payments had virtually no statistically significant, or clinically or economically meaningful effects on infant health (birth weight, gestational age, and fetal growth outcomes), at least for the range of payments received by most mothers.

Keywords: Income; Infant health; Child health; Cash support; Child tax credit; Covid-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H51 I14 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:101:y:2025:i:c:s0167629625000232

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2025.102989

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