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Author: Kelly, Inas Rashad
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Cesur, Resul
Kelly, Inas Rashad
From Cradle to Classroom: High Birth Weight and Cognitive Outcomes
Forum for Health Economics and Policy 13,2 (2010): Article 2 .
Also: http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/fhep.2010.13.2/fhep.2010.13.2.1189/fhep.2010.13.2.1189.xml?format=INT
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG
Keyword(s): Birthweight; Body Mass Index (BMI); Breastfeeding; Cognitive Development; Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-B, ECLS-K); Obesity; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT); Pregnancy and Pregnancy Outcomes

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

While the effects of low birth weight have long been explored, the literature on the effects of high birth weight is sparse. However, with increasing obesity rates in the United States, high birth weight has become a potential concern, and has been associated in the medical literature with an increased likelihood of becoming an overweight child, adolescent, and subsequently an obese adult. Overweight and obesity, in turn, are associated with a host of negative effects, including lower test scores in school and lower labor market prospects when adults. If studies only focus on low birth weight, they may underestimate the effects of ensuring that mothers receive adequate support during pregnancy. This study finds that cognitive outcomes are adversely affected not only by low birth weight (<2500 grams) but also by high birth weight (>4500 grams). Our results have policy implications in terms of provision of support for pregnant women.
Bibliography Citation
Cesur, Resul and Inas Rashad Kelly. "From Cradle to Classroom: High Birth Weight and Cognitive Outcomes." Forum for Health Economics and Policy 13,2 (2010): Article 2 .