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Effects of Poverty & Infant Development

In the United States, 22 percent of children are raised in poverty, according to data from a 2001 U.S. Census Bureau study. There are approximately 6 million children younger than 6 who are extremely poor, or have household income less than 50 percent of the poverty level. In the latter half of the 20th century poverty has decreased for the elderly due to programs such as social security and Medicare. In contrast, the severity of poverty and the number of families with children who are poor in the U. S. has increased, according to the University of Minnesota.

  1. IQ and Education

    • The IQ scores of children varies with the level of poverty. Controlled for various factors such as marital status and the educational level of the parents, IQ scores among children who were born in poverty are six to 13 points lower than the average. The effect of poverty on adolescents is not as severe. Poverty also affects the educational achievement of children who are subject to it. Poverty during infancy has a greater impact on school completion than poverty during school age years. Graduation rates can be as low as 50 percent of those who started high school in areas with high poverty.

    Physical Health

    • Infants born into poverty have higher rates of chronic health conditions and suffer from poorer health in general. The parents of children who are poor are less likely to rate the health of their children as excellent. Children from poor families are more frequently admitted to hospitals and have higher death rates. They also do not have sufficient access medical care. These children are more likely to suffer from poor nutrition and be exposed to lead paint.

    Pregnancy Outcomes

    • There is a strong correlation between low birth weight and poverty. White women who are poor have an 80 percent greater chance of having a low-birth-weight infant in comparison with white women who are not poor. Black women, regardless of economic status, are twice as likely to have a low-birth-weight infant. Adolescents from poor families are three times more likely to have an out of wedlock pregnancy in comparison with adolescents who are not poor. These births usually involve low birth weight and other medical complications.

    Additional Risks

    • Children born in poor families are negatively affected by the environments in which they live. Nearly half of poor families live in an area with concentrated poverty. These communities suffer from a lack of community resources and a dearth of economic investment. The neighborhoods are often victimized by high crime levels. Children born in poor families are less likely to participate in extracurricular scholastic activities and may not have easy access to safe places to play.

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