“The Effects of Residential Segregation on Infant Health” – Prior research has found that a high level of residential racial segregation, or the degree to which racial/ethnic groups are isolated from one another, is associated with worsened infant health outcomes, particularly among non-Hispanic (NH) Black infants. However, because exposure to segregation is non-random, it is unclear whether and to what extent segregation is causally linked to infant health. To overcome this empirical limitation, we leverage exogenous variation in the placement of railroad tracks in the 19th century to predict contemporary segregation, an approach first introduced by Ananat (2011). In alignment with prior literature, we find that residential segregation has statistically significant associations with negative birth outcomes among Black infants. However, analyses that account for the endogeneity of segregation reveal a more complex story: using OLS methods underestimates the negative impacts of segregation on birth weight and fetal growth but overestimates its impacts on prematurity. We fail to detect comparable effects on health outcomes among NH White infants. Further, we identify several key mechanisms by which residential segregation influences health outcomes among Black infants, including higher levels of anti-Black prejudice, greater transportation barriers, and increased food insecurity. Given that poor birth outcomes have adverse effects on adults’ health and well-being, the findings suggest that in-utero exposure to residential segregation could have important direct and indirect effects on Black-White inequality beyond infancy.
PHS Monday Seminar Featuring Hoa Vu, PHS Postdoctoral Research Associate
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@ 12:00 pm
