Research ArticleArticles

Beyond Treatment Exposure

The Impact of the Timing of Early Interventions on Child and Maternal Health

Jonas Cuzulan Hirani, Hans Henrik Sievertsen and Miriam Wüst
Journal of Human Resources, January 2025, 60 (1) 70-101; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0421-11583R2

References

  1. ↵
    1. Almond, D.
    , and J. Currie. 2011. “Killing Me Softly: The Fetal Origins Hypothesis.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 25(3):153–72.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  2. ↵
    1. Almond, D.
    , J. Currie, and V. Duque. 2018. “Childhood Circumstances and Adult Outcomes: Act II.” Journal of Economic Literature 56(4):1360–446.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  3. ↵
    1. Altindag, O.
    , J. Greve, and E. Tekin. 2021. “Public Health Policy at Scale: Impact of a Government-Sponsored Information Campaign on Infant Mortality in Denmark.” NBER Working Paper 28621. Cambridge, MA: NBER.
  4. ↵
    1. Andersen, S.
    , and M. Frederiksen. 2010. “Pæne piger kan også strejke–sygeplejerskernes strejke 2008.” (“Nice Girls Can Also Be on Strike—The 2008 Nurse Strike.”) [In Danish.] Tidsskrift for Arbejdsliv 12(2):87–104.
    OpenUrl
  5. ↵
    1. Attanasio, O.
    , S. Cattan, E. Fitzsimons, C. Meghir, and M. Rubio-Codina. 2015. “Estimating the Production Function for Human Capital: Results from a Randomized Control Trial in Colombia.” NBER Working Paper 20965. Cambridge, MA: NBER.
    1. Attanasio, O.
    , S. Cattan, E. Fitzsimons, C. Meghir, and M. Rubio-Codina. 2020. “Estimating the Production Function for Human Capital: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Colombia.” American Economic Review 110(1):48–85.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  7. ↵
    1. Attanasio, O.P.
    , C. Fernández, E.O. Fitzsimons, S.M. Grantham-McGregor, C. Meghir, and M. Rubio-Codina. 2014. “Using the Infrastructure of a Conditional Cash Transfer Program to Deliver a Scalable Integrated Early Child Development Program in Colombia: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.” BMJ 349:g5785.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  8. ↵
    1. Baranov, V.
    , S. Bhalotra, P. Biroli, and J. Maselko. 2020. “Maternal Depression, Women’s Empowerment, and Parental Investment: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial.” American Economic Review 110(3):824–59.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  9. ↵
    1. Barker, D.J.
    1990. “The Fetal and Infant Origins of Adult Disease.” BMJ 301(6761):1111.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  10. ↵
    1. Belfield, C.R.
    , M. Nores, S. Barnett, and L. Schweinhart. 2006. “The High/Scope Perry Preschool Program Cost–Benefit Analysis Using Data from the Age-40 Followup.” Journal of Human Resources 41(1):162–90.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  11. ↵
    1. Bhalotra, S.
    , M. Karlsson, and T. Nilsson. 2017. “Infant Health and Longevity: Evidence from a Historical Intervention in Sweden.” Journal of the European Economic Association 15(5):1101–57.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  12. ↵
    1. Biroli, P.
    , T. Boneva, A. Raja, and C. Rauh. 2020. “Parental Beliefs about Returns to Child Health Investments.” Journal of Econometrics https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2020.03.018
  13. ↵
    1. Boneva, T.
    , and C. Rauh. 2018. “Parental Beliefs about Returns to Educational Investments—The Later the Better?” Journal of the European Economic Association 16(6):1669–711.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  14. ↵
    1. Bütikofer, A.
    , K.V. Løken, and K.G. Salvanes. 2019. “Infant Health Care and Long-Term Outcomes.” Review of Economics and Statistics 101(2):341–54.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
    1. Bütikofer, A.
    , J. Riise, and M.M. Skira. 2021. “The Impact of Paid Maternity Leave on Maternal Health.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 13(1):67–105.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  16. ↵
    1. Carneiro, P.
    , and R. Ginja. 2014. “Long-Term Impacts of Compensatory Preschool on Health and Behavior: Evidence from Head Start.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 6(4):135–73.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  17. ↵
    1. Cascio, E.U.
    2009. “Do Investments in Universal Early Education Pay Off? Long-Term Effects of Introducing Kindergartens into Public Schools.” NBER Working Paper 14951. Cambridge, MA: NBER.
  18. ↵
    1. Cascio, E.U.
    2015. “The Promises and Pitfalls of Universal Early Education.” IZA World of Labor 116. http://dx.doi.org/10.15185/izawol.116
  19. ↵
    1. Conti, G.
    , J.J. Heckman, and R. Pinto. 2016. “The Effects of Two Influential Early Childhood Interventions on Health and Healthy Behaviour.” Economic Journal 126(596):F28–F65.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  20. ↵
    1. Cooper, P.J.
    , and L. Murray. 1998. “Postnatal Depression.” BMJ 316(7148):1884–86.
    OpenUrlFREE Full Text
  21. ↵
    1. Cunha, F.
    , I. Elo, and J. Culhane. 2013. “Eliciting Maternal Expectations about the Technology of Cognitive Skill Formation.” NBER Working Paper 19144. Cambridge, MA: NBER.
  22. ↵
    1. Currie, J.
    , and D. Thomas. 1995. “Does Head Start Make a Difference?” American Economic Review 85(3):341–64.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  23. ↵
    1. De Haan, M.
    , and E. Leuven. 2020. “Head Start and the Distribution of Long-Term Education and Labor Market Outcomes.” Journal of Labor Economics 38(3):727–65.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  24. ↵
    1. Deming, D.
    2009. “Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development: Evidence from Head Start.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 1(3):111–34.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  25. ↵
    1. Doyle, O.
    2020. “The First 2,000 Days and Child Skills.” Journal of Political Economy 128(6):2067–122.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  26. ↵
    1. Doyle, O.
    , N. Fitzpatrick, J. Lovett, and C. Rawdon. 2015. “Early Intervention and Child Physical Health: Evidence from a Dublin-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.” Economics & Human Biology 19:224–45.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  27. ↵
    1. Due, J.J.
    , and J.S. Madsen. 2008. Forligsmagere og Forumshoppere—Analyse af OK 2008 i Den Offentlige Sektor. Jurist- og Økonomforbundets Forlag.
  28. ↵
    1. Garces, E.
    , D. Thomas, and J. Currie. 2002. ”Longer-Term Effects of Head Start.” American Economic Review 92(4):999–1012.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  29. ↵
    1. Gertler, P.
    , J. Heckman, R. Pinto, A. Zanolini, C. Vermeersch, S. Walker, S. M. Chang, and S. Grantham-McGregor. 2014. “Labor Market Returns to an Early Childhood Stimulation Intervention in Jamaica.” Science 344(6187):998–1001.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  30. ↵
    1. Gluckman, P.D.
    , M.A. Hanson, C. Cooper, and K.L. Thornburg. 2008. “Effect of in UTERO and Early-Life Conditions on Adult Health and Disease.” New England Journal of Medicine 359(1):61–73.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  31. ↵
    1. Heckman, J.
    , R. Pinto, and P. Savelyev. 2013. “Understanding the Mechanisms through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes.” American Economic Review 103(6):2052–86.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  32. ↵
    1. Hjort, J.
    , M. Sølvsten, and M. Wüst. 2017. “Universal Investment in Infants and Long-Run Health: Evidence from Denmark’s 1937 Home Visiting Program.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 9(4):78–104.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  33. ↵
    1. Ibsen, C.L.
    , T.P. Larsen, J.S. Madsen, and J. Due. 2011. “Challenging Scandinavian Employment Relations: The Effects of New Public Management Reforms.” International Journal of Human Resource Management 22(11):2295–310.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  34. ↵
    1. Kronborg, H.
    , H.H. Sievertsen, and M. Wüst. 2016. “Care around Birth, Infant and Mother Health and Maternal Health Investments—Evidence from a Nurse Strike.” Social Science and Medicine 150:201–11.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  35. ↵
    1. Kronborg, H.
    , M. Væth, and I. Kristensen. 2012. “The Effect of Early Postpartum Home Visits by Health Visitors: A Natural Experiment.” Public Health Nursing 29(4):289–301.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  36. ↵
    1. Lovejoy, M.C.
    , P.A. Graczyk, E. O’Hare, and G. Neuman. 2000. “Maternal Depression and Parenting Behavior: A Meta-analytic Review.” Clinical Psychology Review 20(5):561–92.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  37. ↵
    1. Ludwig, J.
    , and D. Miller. 2007. “Does Head Start Improve Children’s Life Chances? Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 122(1):159–208.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  38. ↵
    1. Masse, L.N.
    , and W.S. Barnett. 2002. “A Benefit–Cost Analysis of the Abecedarian Early Childhood Intervention.” In Cost-Effectiveness and Educational Policy, ed. H.M. Levin and P. McEwan, 157–73. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
  39. ↵
    1. Olds, D.L.
    , C. R. Henderson, R. Chamberlin, and R. Tatelbaum. 1986. “Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: A Randomized Trial of Nurse Home Visitation.” Pediatrics 78(1):65–78.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  40. ↵
    1. Olds, D.L.
    , C. R. Henderson, R. Cole, J. Eckenrode, D. Kitzmann, Harriet Luckey, L. Pettitt, K. Sidora, P. Morris, and J. Powers. 1998. “Long-Term Effects of Nurse Home Visitation on Childrens Criminal and Antisocial Behavior: 15-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.” JAMA 280(14):1238–44.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  41. ↵
    1. Olds, D.L.
    , C.R. Henderson, H.J. Kitzman, J.J. Eckenrode, R.E. Cole, and R.C. Tatelbau. 1999. “Prenatal and Infancy Home Visitation by Nurses: Recent Findings.” Future of Children 9(1):44–65.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  42. ↵
    1. Olds, D.L.
    , J. Robinson, R. O’Brien, D.W. Luckey, L.M. Pettitt, C.R. Henderson, R.K. Ng, K.L. Sheff, J. Korfmacher, S. Hiatt, and A. Talmi. 2002. “Home Visiting by Paraprofessionals and by Nurses: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.” Pediatrics 110(3):486–96.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  43. ↵
    1. Paulson, J.F.
    , S. Dauber, and J.A. Leiferman. 2006. “Individual and Combined Effects of Postpartum Depression in Mothers and Fathers on Parenting Behavior.” Pediatrics 118(2):659–68.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  44. ↵
    1. Persson, P.
    , and M. Rossin-Slater. 2019. “When Dad Can Stay Home: Fathers’ Workplace Flexibility and Maternal Health.” NBER Working Paper 25902. Cambridge, MA: NBER.
  45. ↵
    1. Sandner, M.
    2019. “Effects of Early Childhood Intervention on Fertility and Maternal Employment: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Journal of Health Economics 63:159–81.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  46. ↵
    1. Sandner, M.
    , T. Cornelissen, T. Jungmann, and P. Herrmann. 2018. “Evaluating the Effects of a Targeted Home Visiting Program on Maternal and Child Health Outcomes.” Journal of Health Economics 58:269–83.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  47. ↵
    1. Sievertsen, H.H.
    , and M. Wüst. 2017. “Discharge on the Day of Birth, Parental Response and Health and Schooling Outcomes.” Journal of Health Economics 55:121–38.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMed
  48. ↵
    Sundhedsstyrelsen. 2007. “Primary Preventive Care for Children and Youth—National Guidelines.” (“forebyggende sundhedsordninger for børn og unge – retningslinier.”) [In Danish.] Technical report. Copenhagen: The Danish National Board of Health.
  49. ↵
    1. Vaithianathan, R.
    , M. Wilson, T. Maloney, and S. Baird. 2016. The Impact of the Family Start Home Visiting Programme on Outcomes for Mothers and Children: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Social Development.
  50. ↵
    1. Wachs, T.D.
    , M.M. Black, and P.L. Engle. 2009. “Maternal Depression: A Global Threat to Children’s Health, Development, and Behavior and to Human Rights.” Child Development Perspectives 3(1):51–59.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  51. ↵
    1. Wüst, M.
    2012. “Early Interventions and Infant Health: Evidence from the Danish Home Visiting Program.” Labour Economics 19:484–95.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
Back to top

In this issue

Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Email Article
Citation Tools
Beyond Treatment Exposure
Jonas Cuzulan Hirani, Hans Henrik Sievertsen, Miriam Wüst
Journal of Human Resources Jan 2025, 60 (1) 70-101; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.0421-11583R2
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

Keywords