ABSTRACT
Welfare reform might affect the health of children positively or negatively through several pathways. This chapter examines those pathways. It considers whether existing federal data sets can be used to measure the changes that might occur. When considering the impact of welfare reform on child health or any of the other numerous child outcomes of interest to policymakers, it is important to understand that: welfare reform is not a single entity, and effects may differ by the age and gender of the child. Welfare reform might affect child health by improving or worsening the conditions associated with poverty. The effects of welfare reform on child health could be measured by health status, health-related behaviors, or medical care access or utilization. A group of largely independent studies of welfare families is being used to determine the effects of welfare reform on child health.
