In-utero exposure to local COVID-19 incidence and infant birthweight in Brazil

ABSTRACT

In this article, we investigate whether in-utero exposure to municipal-level COVID-19 incidence rates in Brazil was associated with lower infant birth weight. To lower endogeneity related to conception during COVID-19, we include infants who were conceived before and born after, the first official case of COVID-19 in Brazil, 26 February 2020. Using the administrative natality data of infants, in-utero exposure to local COVID-19 incidence rate did not affect infant birth weight, and the estimates are robust to heterogeneities by mother’s demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Findings have implications for the effect of in-utero exposure to local COVID-19 incidence rates and birth weight.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• birth outcomes
• pregnancy
• in-utero stress

JEL CLASSIFICATION:

• I10
• I18
• I19

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 For more information on SINASC data, please see http://www2.datasus.gov.br/DATASUS/index.php?area=0901&item=1&acao=28&pad=31655.