

At Risk From the Womb - talbina
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/opinion/03kristof.html?WT.mc_id=OP-SM-E-FB-SM-LIN-ARF-100210-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click

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talbina
"Perhaps the most striking finding is that a stressful uterine environment may
be a mechanism that allows poverty to replicate itself generation after
generation. Pregnant women in low-income areas tend to be more exposed to
anxiety, depression, chemicals and toxins from car exhaust to pesticides, and
they’re more likely to drink or smoke and less likely to take vitamin
supplements, eat healthy food and get meticulous pre-natal care.

The result is children who start life at a disadvantage — for kids facing
stresses before birth appear to have lower educational attainment, lower
incomes and worse health throughout their lives. If that’s true, then even
early childhood education may be a bit late as a way to break the cycles of
poverty. "

