Collaborative research: The Intergenerational Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

这个项目考察了怀孕期间接触新冠肺炎对分娩结果的影响，随着时间的推移，以及跨不同不利来源定义的不同群体。新冠肺炎大流行是一次巨大的冲击，可能会通过多种途径影响婴儿健康，包括孕产妇感染、压力和焦虑、经济困难以及获得产前护理的机会。由于这些因素在美国的不同群体中有所不同，新冠肺炎对出生结果的影响在优势较少的群体和特定人口群体中可能会更强，从而加剧美国的差异。理解这些影响是至关重要的，因为出生结果预示着整个生命过程中的健康和社会经济成就。这项研究依赖于因果推理技术，利用不同时间和地点感染率的差异来捕捉大流行对出生结果差异的后果，特别是宫内生长受限，这是早期认知、教育和最终收入的关键预测因素。在州一级提前公布的出生记录被用来提供尽可能早的证据。研究的重点是六个州，这些州提供了大范围和多样化的样本，涵盖了大流行已经展开且差异很大的地区。关于COVID发病率和死亡率的时变数据以及当地官员的回应都与这些数据相关联。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project examines the effects of COVID-19 exposure during pregnancy on birth outcomes, over time, and across different groups defined by different sources of disadvantage. The COVID-19 pandemic is a large shock likely to affect infant health through multiple pathways including maternal infection, stress and anxiety, economic hardship, and access to prenatal care. Because these factors differ across groups in the United States, the impact of COVID-19 on birth outcomes will likely be stronger among groups with fewer advantages and certain demographic groups, exacerbating differences in the United States. These effects are critical to understand because birth outcomes predict health and socioeconomic attainment throughout the life course. This study relies on causal inference techniques exploiting variation in infection rates across time and place to capture the consequences of the pandemic on differences in birth outcomes, in particular intrauterine growth restriction, a key predictor of early-life cognition, education, and ultimately earnings. Birth records obtained at the state level with early release are used to provide the earliest possible evidence. Research focuses on six states that provide large and diverse samples across areas where the pandemic has unfolded with significant variation. Time-varying data on COVID incidence and mortality, and local official responses are linked to these data.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.