Child Poverty and Health: The Role of Income Support Policies

Abstract

r Child poverty is associated with both short-and long-term health and well-being, and income support policies can be used to improve child health.r This article reviews the types of income support policies used in the United States and the evidence of the effectiveness of these policies in improving child health, highlighting areas for future research and policy considerations specific to income support policies. C hild poverty is associated with both short-and long-term health and well-being. 1,2 Poverty affects child health directly through the experience of deprivation, such as through food insufficiency or lack of housing, but also indirectly through the availability of parental or community resources. 3 Economic resources also shape children's access to health-promoting policies, like education, child care, parental leave, and health care, which affect both current and later-life health and mortality. Many income support policies also reduce poverty and improve economic well-being, which in turn improves child health. In this paper, I review the evidence on income support policies in the United States and their effects on child health. I focus on income support policies because there is a growing interest in considering how

Upstream Policy Changes to Improve Population Health and Health Equity: A Priority Agenda

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“…President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021) and Inflation Reduction Act (2022) have the potential to contribute greatly to addressing the well‐being of children. In this issue, Pilkauskas goes into further detail about how income support can serve as a policy solution to address upstream health challenges 26 …”

“…In this issue, Pilkauskas goes into further detail about how income support can serve as a policy solution to address upstream health challenges. 26 …”

Unconditional cash transfers and mental health symptoms among parents with low incomes: Evidence from the 2021 child tax credit

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Prescription for Cash? Cash Support to Low‐Income Families in Maternal and Pediatric Health Care Settings

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