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Age-Specific Correlates of Child Growth

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  • Matthias Rieger

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Sofia Karina Trommlerová

    (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies)

Abstract

Growth faltering describes a widespread phenomenon that height- and weight-for-age of children in developing countries collapse rapidly in the first two years of life. We study age-specific correlates of child nutrition using Demographic and Health Surveys from 56 developing countries to shed light on the potential drivers of growth faltering. Applying nonparametric techniques and exploiting within-mother variation, we find that maternal and household factors predict best the observed shifts and bends in child nutrition age curves. The documented interaction between age and maternal characteristics further underlines the need not only to provide nutritional support during the first years of life but also to improve maternal conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Rieger & Sofia Karina Trommlerová, 2016. "Age-Specific Correlates of Child Growth," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(1), pages 241-267, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:53:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s13524-015-0449-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-015-0449-3
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    4. Larsen, Anna F. & Headey, Derek & Masters, William A., 2017. "Misreporting Month of Birth: Implications for Research on Nutrition and Early Childhood in Low-Income Countries," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 258554, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    5. Sébastien Mary & Kelsey Shaw & Sergio Gomez y Paloma, 2019. "Does the sectoral composition of growth affect child stunting reductions?," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 37(2), pages 225-244, March.
    6. Joseph Cummins & Anaka Aiyar, 2017. "Age-Profile Estimates of the Relationship Between Economic Growth and Child Health," Working Papers 201812, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2018.
    7. Anaka Aiyar & Joseph Cummins, 2020. "An Age Profile Perspective on Two Puzzles in Global Child Health: the Indian Enigma and Economic Growth," Working Papers 202019, University of California at Riverside, Department of Economics.
    8. Miedema, Stephanie Spaid & Haardörfer, Regine & Girard, Amy Webb & Yount, Kathryn M., 2018. "Women’s empowerment in East Africa: Development of a cross-country comparable measure," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 453-464.
    9. Anna Folke Larsen & Derek Headey & William A. Masters, 2019. "Misreporting Month of Birth: Diagnosis and Implications for Research on Nutrition and Early Childhood in Developing Countries," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(2), pages 707-728, April.
    10. Ervin, Paul A. & Bubak, Vit, 2019. "Closing the rural-urban gap in child malnutrition: Evidence from Paraguay, 1997–2012," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-10.
    11. Suman Chakrabarti & Samuel P. Scott & Harold Alderman & Purnima Menon & Daniel O. Gilligan, 2021. "Intergenerational nutrition benefits of India’s national school feeding program," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-10, December.
    12. Skoufias,Emmanuel & Vinha,Katja Pauliina, 2020. "Child Stature, Maternal Education, and Early Childhood Development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9396, The World Bank.

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