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Goldfeld S, Downes M, Gray S, Pham C, Guo S, O'Connor E, Redmond G, Azpitarte F, Badland H, Woolfenden S, Williams K, Priest N, O'Connor M, Moreno-Betancur M. Household income supplements in early childhood to reduce inequities in children's development. Soc Sci Med 2024; 340:116430. [PMID: 38048739 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early childhood interventions have the potential to reduce children's developmental inequities. We aimed to estimate the extent to which household income supplements for lower-income families in early childhood could close the gap in children's developmental outcomes and parental mental health. METHODS Data were drawn from a nationally representative birth cohort, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (N = 5107), which commenced in 2004 and conducted follow-ups every two years. Exposure was annual household income (0-1 year). Outcomes were children's developmental outcomes, specifically social-emotional, physical functioning, and learning (bottom 15% versus top 85%) at 4-5 years, and an intermediate outcome, parental mental health (poor versus good) at 2-3 years. We modelled hypothetical interventions that provided a fixed-income supplement to lower-income families with a child aged 0-1 year. Considering varying eligibility scenarios and amounts motivated by actual policies in the Australian context, we estimated the risk of poor outcomes for eligible families under no intervention and the hypothetical intervention using marginal structural models. The reduction in risk under intervention relative to no intervention was estimated. RESULTS A single hypothetical supplement of AU$26,000 (equivalent to ∼USD$17,350) provided to lower-income families (below AU$56,137 (∼USD$37,915) per annum) in a child's first year of life demonstrated an absolute reduction of 2.7%, 1.9% and 2.6% in the risk of poor social-emotional, physical functioning and learning outcomes in children, respectively (equivalent to relative reductions of 12%, 10% and 11%, respectively). The absolute reduction in risk of poor mental health in eligible parents was 1.0%, equivalent to a relative reduction of 7%. Benefits were similar across other income thresholds used to assess eligibility (range, AU$73,329-$99,864). CONCLUSIONS Household income supplements provided to lower-income families may benefit children's development and parental mental health. This intervention should be considered within a social-ecological approach by stacking complementary interventions to eliminate developmental inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Goldfeld
- Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Marnie Downes
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sarah Gray
- Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Cindy Pham
- Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Shuaijun Guo
- Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Elodie O'Connor
- Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Gerry Redmond
- College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Francisco Azpitarte
- School of Social Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Badland
- Social and Global Studies Centre, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sue Woolfenden
- Sydney Medical School, The Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Australia; Discipline of Pediatrics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Katrina Williams
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Naomi Priest
- Centre for Community Child Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Centre for Social Research & Methods, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Meredith O'Connor
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Melbourne Children's LifeCourse Initiative, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia; Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Margarita Moreno-Betancur
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
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Cai JY. Economic instability and child maltreatment risk: Evidence from state administrative data. Child Abuse Negl 2022; 130:105213. [PMID: 34334214 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effects of economic instability and the role of economic conditions preceding child protective services (CPS) involvement have not been fully considered in the child welfare literature. OBJECTIVE This paper investigates the link between earnings instability and CPS involvement. Specifically, it examines whether adequate access to safety net programs mitigates the likelihood of child welfare involvement when families encounter negative earnings shocks. METHODOLOGY The study used quarterly administrative data from a sample of at-risk families for CPS involvement in Wisconsin. Event history analysis was employed to estimate the relationship between earnings instability and subsequent child maltreatment investigations. RESULT Experiencing a negative earnings shock of 30% or more increases the likelihood of CPS involvement by approximately 18%. The effect diminishes and becomes nonsignificant when an earnings decline is compensated by benefit receipt. Each additional earnings drop is associated with a 15% greater likelihood of CPS involvement. Each consecutive quarter with stable income is associated with 5% lower probability of a CPS report. The results are more pronounced for abuse than neglect and are marginally significant for neglect reports. CONCLUSION Unfavorable economic instability is linked to greater CPS-involvement risk, particularly for child abuse. Moreover, accessing sufficient social benefits as supplemental income when negative earnings shocks occur serves to effectively buffer against the risk of child maltreatment, particularly among families with young children (ages 0-4).
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Y Cai
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, 3415 William Sewell Social Sciences Building, 1180 Observatory Dr., Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
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Enns JE, Nickel NC, Chartier M, Chateau D, Campbell R, Phillips-Beck W, Sarkar J, Burland E, Katz A, Santos R, Brownell M. An unconditional prenatal income supplement is associated with improved birth and early childhood outcomes among First Nations children in Manitoba, Canada: a population-based cohort study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2021; 21:312. [PMID: 33879074 PMCID: PMC8059008 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-021-03782-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Manitoba, Canada, low-income pregnant women are eligible for the Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit, an unconditional income supplement of up to CAD $81/month, during their latter two trimesters. Our objective was to determine the impact of the Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit on birth and early childhood outcomes among Manitoba First Nations women and their children. METHODS We used administrative data to identify low-income First Nations women who gave birth 2003-2011 (n = 8209), adjusting for differences between women who received (n = 6103) and did not receive the Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit (n = 2106) with using propensity score weighting. Using multi-variable regressions, we compared rates of low birth weight, preterm, and small- and large-for-gestational-age births, 5-min Apgar scores, breastfeeding initiation, birth hospitalization length of stay, hospital readmissions, complete vaccination at age one and two, and developmental vulnerability in Kindergarten. RESULTS Women who received the benefit had lower risk of low birth weight (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 0.74; 95% CI 0.62-0.88) and preterm (aRR 0.77; 0.68-0.88) births, and were more likely to initiate breastfeeding (aRR 1.05; 1.01-1.09). Receipt of the Healthy Baby Prenatal Benefit was also associated with higher rates of child vaccination at age one (aRR 1.10; 1.06-1.14) and two (aRR 1.19; 1.13-1.25), and a lower risk that children would be vulnerable in the developmental domains of language and cognitive development (aRR 0.88; 0.79-0.98) and general knowledge/communication skills (aRR 0.87; 0.77-0.98) in Kindergarten. CONCLUSIONS A modest unconditional income supplement of CAD $81/month during pregnancy was associated with improved birth outcomes, increased vaccination rates, and better developmental health outcomes for First Nations children from low-income families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Enns
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Nathan C Nickel
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Mariette Chartier
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Dan Chateau
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Rhonda Campbell
- First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | | | - Joykrishna Sarkar
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Elaine Burland
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Alan Katz
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
- Department of Family Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
| | - Rob Santos
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada
| | - Marni Brownell
- Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 408-727 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3E 3P5, Canada.
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