Conflict, rockets, and birth outcomes
Evidence from Israel's Operation Protective Edge
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21876795 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shirlee Lichtman‐Sadot (0000-0001-5830-3678, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, corresponding author), Neta Benshalom-Tirosh (0000-0003-1627-0200, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev), Eyal Sheiner (0000-0002-0454-6874, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 91 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 119-145 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Demographic Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2054-0892 • E-ISSN: 2054-0906 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/dem.2022.18 |
| OpenAlex | W3134097408 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
In summer 2014, southern Israel experienced rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip on a nearly daily basis for over 50 consecutive days. We exploit this unexpected escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and variation across localities in Israel in the amount of sirens that warned of rocket attacks to measure the effect of conflict intensity on birth weight and gestation length among pregnant women during this period. In addition to the common notion that conflict intensity induces stress and anxiety, we show changes in prenatal care in response to sirens. This maternal behavioral response varies based on socioeconomic status, which ultimately differentially affected birth outcomes. While mothers ranked high socioeconomically likely had the resources to increase their prenatal care and shield their fetuses from the negative shock of sirens, mothers ranked low socioeconomically did not have these resources and even decreased prenatal care
Low birth weight · Pregnancy · Prenatal care · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Health and Conflict Studies · History · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology
Weathering the storm
Stress and Birth Weight
From the Cradle to the Labor Market? The Effect of Birth Weight on Adult Outcomes
Health Capital and the Prenatal Environment
Returns to Birthweight
The Hidden Costs of War
Birth order and health of newborns
Armed conflict and birth weight
First-Trimester Working Conditions and Birthweight
The Mexican Drug War and Early-Life Health
Birth outcomes for Arabic-named women in California before and after September 11
The Effect of Maternal Stress on Birth Outcomes
Prenatal Exposure to Violence and Birth Weight in Mexico
Killing Me Softly
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |