abstract: 'Objectives The United States is one of only three countries worldwide

  with no national policy guaranteeing paid leave to employed women who

  give birth. While maternity leave has been linked to improved maternal

  and child outcomes in international contexts, up-to-date research

  evidence in the U.S. context is needed to inform current policy debates

  on paid family leave. Methods Using data from Listening to Mothers III,

  a national survey of women ages 18-45 who gave birth in 2011-2012, we

  conducted multivariate logistic regression to predict the likelihood of

  outcomes related to infant health, maternal physical and mental health,

  and maternal health behaviors by the use and duration of paid maternity

  leave. Results Use of paid and unpaid leave varied significantly by

  race/ethnicity and household income. Women who took paid maternity leave

  experienced a 47\% decrease in the odds of re-hospitalizing their

  infants (95\% CI 0.3, 1.0) and a 51\% decrease in the odds of being

  re-hospitalized themselves (95\% CI 0.3, 0.9) at 21 months postpartum,

  compared to women taking unpaid or no leave. They also had 1.8 times the

  odds of doing well with exercise (95\% CI 1.1, 3.0) and stress

  management (95\% CI 1.1, 2.8), compared to women taking only unpaid

  leave. Conclusions for Practice Paid maternity leave significantly

  predicts lower odds of maternal and infant re-hospitalization and higher

  odds of doing well with exercise and stress management. Policies aimed

  at expanding access to paid maternity and family leave may contribute

  toward reducing socio-demographic disparities in paid leave use and its

  associated health benefits.'
affiliation: 'Jou, J (Corresponding Author), Univ Minnesota, Div Hlth Policy \& Management,
  Sch Publ Hlth, 420 Delaware St SE,MMC 729, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.

  Jou, Judy; Kozhimannil, Katy B.; Abraham, Jean M.; Blewett, Lynn A., Univ Minnesota,
  Div Hlth Policy \& Management, Sch Publ Hlth, 420 Delaware St SE,MMC 729, Minneapolis,
  MN 55455 USA.

  McGovern, Patricia M., Univ Minnesota, Sch Publ Hlth, Div Environm Hlth Sci, Minneapolis,
  MN USA.'
author: Jou, Judy and Kozhimannil, Katy B. and Abraham, Jean M. and Blewett, Lynn
  A. and McGovern, Patricia M.
author-email: jouxx008@umn.edu
author_list:
- family: Jou
  given: Judy
- family: Kozhimannil
  given: Katy B.
- family: Abraham
  given: Jean M.
- family: Blewett
  given: Lynn A.
- family: McGovern
  given: Patricia M.
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s10995-017-2393-x
eissn: 1573-6628
files: []
issn: 1092-7875
journal: MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH JOURNAL
keywords: 'Maternity leave; Family and Medical Leave Act; Maternal health; Infant

  health; Health behavior'
keywords-plus: 'WORK-FAMILY POLICIES; PHYSICAL HEALTH; CHILD HEALTH; EMPLOYMENT;

  MOTHERS; OUTCOMES; COUNTRIES; DURATION; PRETERM; QUALITY'
language: English
month: FEB
number: '2'
number-of-cited-references: '39'
orcid-numbers: Jou, Judy/0000-0003-2446-1744
pages: 216-225
papis_id: 4dc636751cc488c0f252f3d0eba13ad1
ref: Jou2018paidmaternity
times-cited: '76'
title: 'Paid Maternity Leave in the United States: Associations with Maternal and
  Infant Health'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000424701900008
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '35'
volume: '22'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health
year: '2018'