Red Alert: Prenatal Stress and Plans to Close Military Bases

67 Pages Posted: 12 Jun 2014

See all articles by Kyle Carlson

Kyle Carlson

California Institute of Technology - Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Date Written: June 1, 2014

Abstract

In May 2005 the U.S. military announced a restructuring plan called Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). Some areas were projected to lose 20 percent of employment, sparking much distress. Previous research shows that stress affects pregnancy and fetal development. I find that immediately following the announcement, the mean gestational age in the most affected areas dropped by 1.5 days for a period of 1-2 months. Births shifted from 39 to 37-38 weeks, a period linked to health risks. Similar changes appear in birth weight. Local changes in employment and mothers’ characteristics do not account for these effects.

Keywords: stress, birth outcomes, birth weight, gestation, military spending

JEL Classification: I10, N50

Suggested Citation

Carlson, Kyle, Red Alert: Prenatal Stress and Plans to Close Military Bases (June 1, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2448337 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2448337

Kyle Carlson (Contact Author)

California Institute of Technology - Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences ( email )

1200 East California Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91125
United States

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