Effects of welfare reform on the prevalence of obesity among low-educated single mothers.

摘要

Welfare reform in the 1990s was anticipated to make welfare recipients become self-sufficient off the welfare roll. There have been remarkable consequences due to the welfare reform: a decrease in the welfare caseload, a decline in welfare participation rate, and an increase in labor market participation. On the other hand, there have been some concerns about the well-being of low-educated single mothers. This paper examines the effects of welfare reform on the prevalence of obesity among low-educated single mothers. I use data from the 1990–2002 Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System. Difference-in-differences estimate is the empirical strategy employed in this paper, which is obtained by subtracting effects of control group (low-educated married mothers) on its weight outcome from effects of target group (low-educated single mothers) on its weight. The main findings of this paper are as follows: (1) welfare reform causes the BMI (Body Mass Index) of low-educated single mothers to increase by 0.3 points or 1.2 percent, which means about 2.0 pounds increase in weight, (2) welfare reform is associated with a 1.7 percentage point or 8.1 percent increase in the probability of obesity of low-educated single mothers, and (3) for low-educated black single mothers, the implementation of welfare reforms is also associated with a 0.8 point increase in BMI and a 4.4 percentage point increase in the probability of obesity.