Abstract
Objectives
To assess changes in young parents’ health behaviors following implementation of New York State’s Paid Family Leave Program (NYSPFL).
Methods
We used synthetic control (N = 117,552) and difference-in-differences (N = 18,973) models with data from the nationally representative Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2011 to 2019 to provide individual-level estimates of the effects of NYSPFL on self-reported exercise in the past month and average daily sleep of adults aged 21–30 years living with one or more children under 18 years of age in New York and comparison states.
Results
Synthetic control model results indicate that the NYSPFL increased the likelihood of exercise in the past month among mothers, single parents, and low-income parents by 6.3–10.3% points (pp), whereas fathers showed a decrease in exercise (7.8 pp). Fathers, single parents, and those with two or more children showed increases in daily sleep between 14 and 21 min per day.
Conclusions for practice
State paid family and medical leave laws may provide benefits for health behaviors among young parents with children under 18, particularly those in low-income and single-parent households.
Significance
Prior research indicates that state paid family and medical leave programs benefit parents’ and children’s health, although their effects on health behaviors like sleep and exercise among those most likely to benefit remains unclear.
AbstractSection What this study adds?This study examines how New York State’s recently implemented paid family and medical leave law affects sleep and exercise among young parents with children, and how these effects vary by income, gender, and income.
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Data Availability
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (CRFSS) data are made publicly available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See: https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html.
Code Availability
The authors will make Stata code available by request.
Notes
A temporary expansion of federally-supported paid sick and family leave benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic expired in December 2020.
For the regulations surrounding the FMLA, see: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-825.
For more detail about FMLA leave for medical conditions, see: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/28p-taking-leave-when-you-or-family-has-health-condition.
For the legislative text, see: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S2928.
We exclude data in 2020 and after due to major COVID-19 pandemic related changes in mental health, labor market conditions, and health behaviors during this period.
The BRFSS asks respondents about total number of children under age 18 living in household; unfortunately it does not collect information on the specific age of children.
Unfortunately, the BRFSS only started collecting sleep information in 2013 (after California’s program was implemented), but more research comparing state programs is needed.
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Dr. Morrissey conceptualized and designed the study and drafted and revised the manuscript. Dr. Castleberry contributed to the methodological design, analyzed the data, drafted sections, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. Dr. Soni contributed to the conceptual and methodological design, assisted in data analysis, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approve of the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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Morrissey, T.W., Castleberry, N.M. & Soni, A. The Impacts of New York State’s Paid Family Leave Policy on Parents’ Sleep and Exercise. Matern Child Health J 28, 1042–1051 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-024-03899-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-024-03899-2