Citation

Brown R. Demography 2018; 55(1): 319-340.

Affiliation

Department of Economics, University of Colorado Denver, Campus Box 181, Denver, CO, 80217, USA. ryan.p.brown@ucdenver.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Population Association of America, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s13524-017-0639-2

PMID

29344926

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between exposure to violent crime in utero and birth weight using longitudinal data from a household survey conducted in Mexico. Controlling for selective migration and fertility, the results suggest that early gestational exposure to the recent escalation of the Mexican Drug War is associated with a substantial decrease in birth weight. This association is especially pronounced among children born to mothers of low socioeconomic status and among children born to mothers who score poorly on a mental health index.

Language: en

Keywords

Birth outcomes; Crime; Mexico; Selective fertility