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School nutritious feeding and cognitive abilities of students in poverty: Evidence from the nutrition improvement program in China

Author

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  • Zhao, Chunkai
  • Chen, Boou
  • Song, Zhiyong

Abstract

While considerable attention has been paid to the benefits of school nutritious feeding, little literature focused on the effect on human capital accumulation for students in poverty. By drawing on the quasi-natural experiment of the Nutrition Improvement Program (NIP) and adopting the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method, we sought to determine the causal relationship between school nutritious feeding and the cognitive ability (CA) development among poor students in China. Specifically, our estimates confirmed that NIP implementations significantly improved the CAs of students in poverty, which is supported by several robustness checks. Moreover, the potential mechanisms of this positive effect included improved health status, enhanced sense of belonging at school, and increased positive expectations for the future. Our study further enriches the literature on the positive effects of school nutritious feeding and provides insights for developing countries to customize nutritional poverty alleviation programs to promote human capital development.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhao, Chunkai & Chen, Boou & Song, Zhiyong, 2024. "School nutritious feeding and cognitive abilities of students in poverty: Evidence from the nutrition improvement program in China," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:159:y:2024:i:c:s0190740924000914
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107519
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