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Source: UBC Finance Working Papers
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Li, Kai
Poirier, Dale J.
An Econometric Model of Birth Inputs and Outputs: A Detailed Report
Working Paper UBCFIN00-3, University of British Columbia, UBC Finance, 2000.
Also: http://finance.commerce.ubc.ca/research/papers/UBCFIN00-3.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: UBC Finance, University of British Columbia
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use; Bayesian; Birthweight; Body Mass Index (BMI); Cigarette Use (see Smoking); Endogeneity; Ethnic Differences; Fertility; Height, Height-Weight Ratios; Infants; Pre-natal Care/Exposure; Pre/post Natal Behavior; Racial Differences; Simultaneity; Weight

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

This study offers a simultaneous equations model of the birth process with seven endogenous variables: four birth inputs [maternal smoking (S), maternal drinking (D), first trimester prenatal care (PC), and maternal weight gain (WG)], and three birth outputs [gestational age (G), birth length (BL), and birth weight (BW)]. Our analysis conditions on twenty-four exogenous variables.

The data are taken from the NLSY. Separate analyses are performed on five different groups: Whites (both the Main and the Supplemental samples), Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans. Across all groups, we find sizeable correlation between the disturbances in the four input and three output equations and among output disturbances. Ceteris Paribus, the effect of maternal smoking on BL and BW is negative, the effect of weight gain on BL and BW is positive, long gestation has a favorable effect on both BL and BW, a male infant is longer and heavier than a female infant, and maternal height and weight have a positive effect on BL and BW, respectively. Surprisingly, we find that the widely-cited group differences in birth outputs can be accommodated in our framework with simple group dummies. Our framework also sheds some light on the High/Low Risk Birth Weight Puzzle discussed in the literature. Finally, our results are robust with respect to different model and prior specifications.

Bibliography Citation
Li, Kai and Dale J. Poirier. "An Econometric Model of Birth Inputs and Outputs: A Detailed Report." Working Paper UBCFIN00-3, University of British Columbia, UBC Finance, 2000.
2. Li, Kai
Poirier, Dale J.
Bayesian Analysis of an Econometric Model of Birth Inputs and Outputs
Working Paper UBCFIN02-3, University of British Columbia, UBC Commerce, 2002.
Also: http://finance.commerce.ubc.ca/research/papers/UBCFIN02-3.pdf
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: UBC Finance, University of British Columbia
Keyword(s): Alcohol Use; Bayesian; Birthweight; Cigarette Use (see Smoking); Endogeneity; Ethnic Differences; Height, Height-Weight Ratios; Modeling; Pre/post Natal Health Care; Racial Differences; Simultaneity

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

This study draws on the biomedical and economics literature on birth weight, and offers a simultaneous equations model of the birth process with seven endogenous variables: four birth inputs (maternal smoking, maternal drinking, first trimester prenatal care, and maternal weight gain) and three birth outputs (gestational age, birth length, and birth weight). The data are taken from the NLSY. Our analysis conditions on twenty-nine exogenous variables including four racial dummies to account for the widely-cited racial differences in birth outputs. We find that the effects of maternal smoking on birth outputs are negative, and smoking reduces birth weight by .4016kg. The effects of maternal drinking on birth outputs are mixed, and drinking reduces gestation by 1.238 weeks. Obtaining prenatal care in the first trimester translates into an increase of 2.356 weeks in gestation, 2.186cm in birth length, and .5051kg in birth weight. Maternal nutrition has positive effects on birth outputs but the size of these effects is small. Gestation has the expected positive effects on birth length and birth weight, but their size is not large. A male infant is longer and heavier than a female infant, and maternal height and weight have a positive effect on birth length and birth weight, respectively. Overall, our results suggest that birth outcomes on average are similar for Main Whites and Native Americans, slightly better than for Supplemental Whites, noticeably better than for Hispanics, and substantially better than for Blacks. After controlling for all the exogenous variables in the model, the posterior mean difference between Blacks and Main Whites is -.5038 weeks for gestational age, -.7762cm for birth length, and -.2072kg for birth weight. There is sizeable correlation between the disturbances in the four input and three output equations and among output disturbances. We compare results from our simultaneous equations model with those using the single-equation approach and find substantial differences. Finally, our framework sheds some light on the High/Low Risk Birth Weight Puzzle discussed in the literature.
Bibliography Citation
Li, Kai and Dale J. Poirier. "Bayesian Analysis of an Econometric Model of Birth Inputs and Outputs." Working Paper UBCFIN02-3, University of British Columbia, UBC Commerce, 2002.