Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Catching up from early nutritional deficits? Evidence from rural Ethiopia
AU - Outes, I.
AU - Porter, C.
PY - 2013/3/1
Y1 - 2013/3/1
N2 - We examine the nutritional status of a cohort of poor Ethiopian children and their patterns of catch-up growth in height-for-Age between three key development stages: age one, five and eight. We use ordinary least squares (within community) and instrumental variables analysis. During the earliest period, we find that nutritional catch-up patterns vary substantially across socioeconomic groups: average catch-up growth in height-for-Age is almost perfect among children in relatively better-off households, while among the poorer children, relative height is more persistent. Between five and eight years of age, however, we find near-perfect persistence and no evidence of heterogeneity in catch-up growth. Our findings suggest that household wealth, and in particular access to services, can lead to substantial catch-up growth early on in life. However, for our sample, the window of opportunity to catch up appears to close as early as the age of five. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
AB - We examine the nutritional status of a cohort of poor Ethiopian children and their patterns of catch-up growth in height-for-Age between three key development stages: age one, five and eight. We use ordinary least squares (within community) and instrumental variables analysis. During the earliest period, we find that nutritional catch-up patterns vary substantially across socioeconomic groups: average catch-up growth in height-for-Age is almost perfect among children in relatively better-off households, while among the poorer children, relative height is more persistent. Between five and eight years of age, however, we find near-perfect persistence and no evidence of heterogeneity in catch-up growth. Our findings suggest that household wealth, and in particular access to services, can lead to substantial catch-up growth early on in life. However, for our sample, the window of opportunity to catch up appears to close as early as the age of five. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
KW - Catch up growth
KW - Children
KW - Ethiopia
KW - Nutrition
U2 - 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.03.001
DO - 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.03.001
M3 - Journal article
VL - 11
SP - 148
EP - 163
JO - Economics and Human Biology
JF - Economics and Human Biology
SN - 1570-677X
IS - 2
ER -