Poverty and health

(T)he cumulative effects of crowded and unstable housing and uncertain supplies of food and heat act together to decrease the chances of normal growth and development and good physical health among infants and toddlers.

It's easy to imagine an effect like this on older children, but on infants and toddlers? That means it doesn't require understanding what is going on for the effect to occur. It has to be either something physically in the environment or anxious vibes coming from the parents. The authors suggest

(A) diet of inadequate quality or quantity, temperature stress from lack of heat or cooling, and frequent moves or increased exposure to infectious disease and noise in crowded household ...

 The Wall Street Journal once called people too poor to have to pay taxes "lucky duckies." I guess. Maybe they'll get real lucky and total their car, so they don't have to buy gas, either, or drive to work. Or maybe the kids will die, so they don't have to fret over the fact that they can't afford college.

Another thing that occurs to me is that if infants suffer from "diet of inadequate quality or quantity," then either mom's not breastfeeding, or her diet is affecting her milk.