The relationship between early health and poverty and later welfare dependency in an urban African American community: A life course perspective

• Main Author: Nielsen-McPherson, Marcia J
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2000
• Subjects: African Americans; Poverty; Public health; Urban areas; Welfare
• ISBN: 9780599684416; 0599684410

This research uses a life course perspective (from infancy through adulthood) to examine the relationship between early health and poverty and later welfare dependence, defined as more than five years of welfare receipt, in an urban African American community. Using logistic regression, two types of analyses were conducted with longitudinal data containing numerous measures of health and social environment spanning more than thirty years. First, the theoretical relationship between early health and poverty and adult welfare dependence was tested using three social science theories: health selection, social causation, and bio-social. The bio-social theory, which states that biological factors, such as birth weight, interact with social factors, such as poverty, best characterized the pathway to later welfare dependency and adult poor health. These findings suggest that this theory merits further study to explain the disparity in health status by income, and welfare prevention policies should be comprehensive and targeted to those who suffer high rates of both poverty and illness throughout their life course. Second, the timing of early poor health and poverty were examined as predictors of later adult welfare dependency or receipt of Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The findings differed by gender, possibly due to the small number of welfare dependent males in the sample. For females, there were several factors associated with welfare dependency: being chronically poor during the early life course, being a teen mother who dropped out of high school, and having adult poor health. For males, poor childhood health and educational status were significantly related to welfare dependence. In terms of SSI receipt, only education was predictive of later receipt of SSI among females. For males, not having children was associated with SSI receipt, as was poor adult health. Thus, while worthwhile federal goals for preventing welfare dependency include delaying parenthood and promoting educational attainment, decreasing early poverty and improving adult health status are also important in helping individuals move from welfare toward self-sufficiency.