Heterogeneous Effects of Medical Interventions on the Health of Low-Risk Newborns

N. Meltem Daysal, Mircea Trandafir and Reyn Van Ewijk

No 9810, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We investigate the impact of early-life medical interventions on low-risk newborn health. A policy rule in The Netherlands creates large discontinuities in medical treatments at gestational week 37. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find no health benefits from additional treatments for average newborns. However, there is substantial heterogeneity in returns to treatments with significant health benefits for newborns in the lowest income quartile and no benefits in higher income quartiles. This seems due to increased maternal stress from referral to an obstetrician among higher-income mothers, heterogeneous effects of home births, and potential difficulties in risk screening among low-income women.

Keywords: heterogeneity; birth; medical interventions; mortality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I12 I18 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 56 pages
Date: 2016-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-hea and nep-lab
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Published - revised version published as 'Low-risk isn't no-risk: Perinatal treatments and the health of low-income newborns' in: Journal of Health Economics, 2019, 64, 55-67.

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