1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«This paper investigates the impact of the “oeuf-lait-orange” (eggs–milk–oranges) (OLO) program on child health at birth in Québec (Canada’s second-largest province).» (p. 77-78)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
The sample includes children born in Québec between 1992 and 1998 and comes from Statistics Canada’s National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY).

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The authors «find strong evidence of a positive impact by the OLO program on birth weight and the probability of delivering a fair weight baby: treated babies gain 70 g on average and are 3.6 percentage points less likely to be LBW [low birth weight]. [They] also find that prematurity decreased by 2.2 percentage points and gestation increased by 1.5 days, but these effects are generally not significant. [The] estimated effects on birth weight and LBW are larger than comparable estimates of the WIC [United States Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children] program […]. While the OLO program provides a specific food basket that may better ensure the proper nutrition of pregnant mothers, counseling sessions vary by LCSC [local community service centers] and may not be as effective as the individual sessions […]. [C]ounseling may have an impact on child health at birth by changing maternal behavior with respect not only to nutrition, but also smoking, for example. Using the NLSCY, [the authors] have shown that the OLO program did not have an impact on maternal health and behavior during pregnancy or on access to health care in the Canadian context. This suggests that the program mainly works through a change in maternal nutrition.» (p. 89)