The impact of the Health in Pregnancy Grant in England and Wales
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the impact of the Health in Pregnancy Grant on birth outcomes in England and Wales, 2009-2011
IRAS ID
270629
Contact name
Kitty Stewart
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The London School of Economics and Political Science
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
From April 2009, the Labour government introduced a Health in Pregnancy Grant (HPG) – a tax-free lump sum of £190 payable in the third trimester to all pregnant women in the UK. The aim of the grant was to promote healthy birth outcomes by subsidising better nutrition and reducing stress during pregnancy. However, the HPG was abolished in 2011 on grounds that it was poorly designed for nutritional impact, and that there was no evidence to suggest its impact on birth outcomes. This research will evaluate the success of the HPG in improving birth outcomes in England and Wales. It is therefore of significant public interest, providing rigorous academic evidence about the effective use of public funds and the impact of social policies on health outcomes. It is also the first study into the impact of the HPG in England and Wales – previous research concerned Scotland only (Leyland et al., 2017). Our preliminary analysis using ONS Birth Registrations microdata suggests that the HPG did have a significant positive impact on average birthweights. We now propose to extend this analysis, using maternity-related Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). This will allow us to identify eligibility for the HPG with more accuracy (eligibility was determined by the baby’s due date, for which we need gestation at birth as well as birth date data). The HES data will also enable us to look at prematurity as an additional birth outcome and to investigate potential variation in the impact of the policy across ethnic groups and area deprivation.
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/LO/1824
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion