Effects of Prenatal Care on Birth Outcomes: Reconciling a Messy Literature / Hope Corman, Dhaval M. Dave, Nancy Reichman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Corman, Hope.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Dave, Dhaval M.

Reichman, Nancy.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w24885.

NBER working paper series no. w24885

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Effects of Prenatal Care on Birth Outcomes

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2018.

Summary:

Research on the effects of prenatal care on birth outcomes has produced a patchwork of findings that are not easily summarized. Studies have used varying definitions of prenatal care, leading to estimates that are difficult to compare. The identification of causal effects is particularly challenging in this literature because women enter pregnancy with varying states of health, resources and the desire to have a child and it is not feasible to conduct randomized controlled trials that deny care. The content and quality of prenatal care can vary, even across individuals initiating care at the same point in their pregnancies and with similar medical and psychosocial issues. In this chapter, we review the literature on the effects of prenatal care on birth outcomes, highlighting studies with strong research designs and plausible effect sizes. We reconcile the findings to the extent possible, summarize what is known to date, and point to potentially fruitful research directions going forward.

Notes:

Print version record

August 2018.