Conflict, rockets, and birth outcomes

Evidence from Israel's Operation Protective Edge

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21876795
AutoresShirlee Lichtman‐Sadot (0000-0001-5830-3678, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, autor de correspondencia), 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)
Año2025
Volumen91
Número1
Páginas119-145
Fecha de publicación2025-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Demographic Economics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2054-0892 • E-ISSN: 2054-0906
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/dem.2022.18
OpenAlexW3134097408
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas33

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