Description/Abstract
Consistent access to healthy food even before pregnancy can play a role in maternal and child health. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides food assistance to low-income individuals, including those who do not yet have children (often classified as Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents, or ABAWDs). Our study uses ABAWD work requirement waivers – which vary within and across counties over a 15-year-period – as a measure of SNAP access for childless women. We use this variation to investigate pre-pregnancy SNAP access and the health of mothers and their infants. Using rich, population-wide Vital Statistics data combined with county-level SNAP policy data, we estimate the effects of SNAP on maternal outcomes like diabetes, hypertension, and birth complications as well as child outcomes related to birthweight, gestational age, and general health. Using ABAWD waivers to identify states with more SNAP access allows us to avoid challenges with selection into SNAP eligibility or participation. We find that waived work requirements in the year before conception are associated with a 4 percent reduction in pre-pregnancy hypertension and may also help improve the birth weight distribution of infants. These improvements capture a previously unrecognized benefit of SNAP to maternal and infant health.
Document Type
Working Paper
Date
5-9-2025
Keywords
Maternal health, infant health, SNAP, work requirement, ABAWD waiver
Language
English
Series
Working Papers Series
Disciplines
Maternal and Child Health | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Public Policy | Social Welfare
ISSN
1525-3066
Recommended Citation
Hamersma, Sarah and McFarlane, Mitch, "How Does SNAP Access Prior to Pregnancy Affect Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes?" (2025). Center for Policy Research. 500.
https://surface.syr.edu/cpr/500
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
