ECONOMIC REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

Figure 4-15
Effects of WIC Participation on Birth Outcomes, 1994—2004
Percent Change
0
-2
-4
-3%
-6
-6%
-8
-10
-10%
-9%
-12
Low Birth Weight
Gestation Less than
37 Weeks
Small for Dates
Low Weight Gain
Source: Currie and Rajani (2015).
which include operating dates and ZIP codes for all clinics in the States,
and birth records that include information on birth outcomes and maternal
characteristics. The author compares birth outcomes between siblings,
where one child was born when a clinic was open nearby, but one sibling
was born without a clinic, to separate the effect of WIC access from genes
and upbringing. This work shows that proximity to a WIC clinic increased
weight gain during pregnancy, birth weights, and the likelihood of breastfeeding
upon hospital discharge.
Another recent paper by Currie and Rajani (2015) uses birth records
from New York City to look at birth outcomes, controlling for fixed and
time-varying characteristics of mothers that might affect selection into the
WIC program. The authors find that WIC reduced the probability that
the mother gained too little weight during pregnancy, improved receipt of
intensive medical services, and reduced the incidence of low birth weight,
even among full-term infants (Figure 4-15). Overall, the literature shows
that WIC has led to substantial gains in many of the most important indicators
of early health, helping to close the gap in early health outcomes by
socioeconomic status.
SNAP
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is the
cornerstone of the U.S. policy to address food insecurity—it is the largest
and most universal of a set of Federal food and nutrition programs designed
Inequality in Early Childhood and Effective Public Policy Interventions | 185