Suboptimal breastfeeding in the U.S. carries substantial health and economic costs and is marked by persistent disparities. The 2022 formula shortage coincided with disruptions in infant feeding practices. This study documents changes in breastfeeding during the shortage period and projects associated infant illness and healthcare costs. Using 2017–2022 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data, we applied Bayesian structural time-series models to estimate deviations in breastfeeding initiation and duration during the shortage period relative to prior trends. We then used Monte Carlo simulation to project infant illness and healthcare costs. During the 2022 formula shortage, breastfeeding for at least four months was higher by 3.43 percentage points (95% credible interval [CrI]: 1.11, 5.74). Breastfeeding at one, two, and three months postpartum was 2.49 to 3.55 percentage points higher, and initiation was higher by 1.54 percentage points (95% CrI: 0.46, 2.59). Estimates varied across sociodemographic groups and were larger among less advantaged mothers, corresponding with smaller observed breastfeeding disparities. The simulation projects annual healthcare costs approximately $420 million lower. During the formula shortage, groups with historically lower breastfeeding rates exhibited higher breastfeeding levels, highlighting the relevance of breastfeeding trends for discussions of infant disease and healthcare costs.

This study estimates the economic impact of Connecticut’s aquaculture sector using input–output modeling. In 2022, the industry generated $33.5 million in output and supported 482 jobs. The analysis tracks trends from 2016 to 2023, with a focus on shellfish production and its economic effects. By combining administrative sales data with federal survey information, applying sector mapping, and converting results into constant dollars for trend analysis, the study illustrates best practices in economic impact analysis. These practices enhance transparency and improve the policy relevance of regional aquaculture studies.

Breastfeeding provides substantial health benefits for both children and mothers; yet U.S. rates remain suboptimal, with disparities shaped by structural, social, and policy factors. This study examines how hospital maternity care practices influence breastfeeding initiation, with particular attention to heterogeneous effects across population groups. Using county-level data from 2017–2022 drawn from the National Vital Statistics System and the Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) surveys, we estimate linear probability models linking breastfeeding initiation to maternity care quality. Higher county mPINC scores are associated with higher breastfeeding initiation: each additional point corresponds to a 0.10 percentage point increase (p < 0.001). The association is larger for non-Hispanic Black mothers (0.25 pp, p < 0.001) and non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native mothers (0.14 pp, p < 0.001), roughly three and two times larger than for non-Hispanic White mothers. Effects also vary by county type, with a 0.08 pp increase in metropolitan counties and a 0.17 pp increase in nonmetropolitan counties (p < 0.001). Higher-quality maternity care practices are associated with higher breastfeeding initiation, particularly among groups with historically lower breastfeeding rates, suggesting a role for maternity care policies in reducing persistent disparities.

Breastfeeding enhances maternal and child health, yet U.S. breastfeeding rates remain below optimal levels and substantial disparities persist. The 2022 infant formula crisis had the potential to influence infant feeding practices due to formula shortages and safety concerns following recalls. Using 2016–2022 national birth certificate data from 47 states and the District of Columbia, we apply Bayesian structural time-series models to estimate changes in breastfeeding-initiation trends during the crisis and linear probability models to assess heterogeneous effects. During the 2022 formula crisis, breastfeeding initiation increased by 1.96 percentage points (95% credible interval: 1.68 to 2.23) and remained above historical levels at the end of the crisis. Effects were larger among mothers with lower education, WIC recipients, residents of less populated counties, Medicaid recipients, and Black mothers. Mothers meeting all of these criteria experienced the largest increase, at 6.06 percentage points (95% confidence interval: 5.26 to 6.87). Preexisting disparities in breastfeeding initiation narrowed in 2022, highlighting the potential for targeted breastfeeding promotion to reduce maternal and child health risks.

Conventional wisdom holds that increases in the minimum wage reduce employment by raising labor costs. This paper examines how minimum wage changes affect employment when employer labor market concentration is taken into account in the two largest U.S. low-wage sectors: Food Service and Drinking Places and General Merchandise Stores. Using establishment-level data and county–sector Herfindahl–Hirschman indexes (HHI), we find that minimum wage increases reduce employment in more competitive labor markets, with larger effects where exposure to the minimum wage is higher. As concentration increases, employment effects become statistically indistinguishable from zero and turn positive only at very high concentration levels. Monopsony-consistent responses emerge once labor market concentration reaches an HHI of approximately 0.2. These findings suggest that minimum wages may mitigate labor market distortions associated with employer monopsony or oligopsony power.