TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hoynes,Hilary W.
AU  - Page,Marianne E.
AU  - Stevens,Ann Huff
TI  - Is a WIC Start a Better Start? Evaluating WIC’s Impact on Infant Health Using Program Introduction
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 15589
PY  - 2009
Y2  - December 2009
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w15589
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w15589.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Hilary W. Hoynes
Department of Economics
University of California, Davis
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA  95616-8578
Tel: 530/564-0505
Fax: 530/752-9382
E-Mail: hwhoynes@ucdavis.edu

Marianne E. Page
Department of Economics
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA  95616-8578
Tel: 530-554-4940
Fax: NA
E-Mail: mepage@ucdavis.edu

Ann Huff Stevens
Department of Economics
One Shields Avenue
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA  95616
Tel: 530/752-3034
E-Mail: annstevens@ucdavis.edu
AB  - The goal of federal food and nutrition programs in the United States is to improve the nutritional well-being and health of low income families. A large body of literature evaluates the extent to which the Supplemental Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) has accomplished this goal, but most studies have been based on research designs that compare program participants to non-participants. If selection into these programs is non-random then such comparisons will lead to biased estimates of the program’s true effects.  In this study we use the rollout of the WIC program across counties to estimate the impact of the program on infant health. We find that the implementation of WIC lead to an increase in average birthweight and a decrease in the fraction of births that are classified as low birthweight. We find no evidence that these estimates are driven by changes in fertility. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the initiation of WIC lead to a ten percent increase in the birthweight of infants born to participating mothers.
ER  -