| Notes |
The Business Case for Improving Birth
Outcomes
With good parenting, nutrition, healthcare and education, the first
months and years of life translate not only into healthier children,
adolescents, and adults, but into a more productive work force.
Nobel Prize winner James Heckman, PhD, the Henry Schultz
distinguished service professor of economics at the University
of Chicago, expresses this in the “Heckman Equation.” It
shows the significant effect that early childhood development
has on later-life health, economic, and social outcomes for
individuals and society. His research, and that of others, clearly
demonstrate the substantial return on investment that comes
from investing in the youngest residents—beginning in the
prenatal months (Figure 1).5
Indeed, LBW and preterm babies have significantly increased
risks of developmental, motor and social development
disabilities. They are more likely to have learning disabilities,
be enrolled in special education classes, have a lower IQ, and
drop out of high school than children born full-term.6,7 These
consequences and others are discussed later in this paper. |