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The effect of breastfeeding on children's educational test scores at nine years of age: Results of an Irish cohort study

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  • McCrory, Cathal
  • Layte, Richard

Abstract

This retrospective cross-sectional paper examines the relationship between early breastfeeding exposure and children's academic test scores at nine years of age independent of a wide range of possible confounders. The final sample comprised 8226 nine-year-old school children participating in the first wave of the Growing Up in Ireland study. The children were selected through the Irish national school system using a 2-stage sampling method and were representative of the nine-year population. Information relating to breastfeeding initiation and exposure duration was obtained retrospectively at nine years of age via parental recall and children's academic performance was assessed using standardised reading and mathematics tests. Hierarchical linear regression analysis with robust standard errors to control for clustering at the school level was used to quantify the effect of breastfeeding on children's test scores. Propensity score matching was used to compare treatment effects across groups defined by their propensity to breastfeed. In unadjusted analysis, children who were breastfed scored 8.67 percentage points higher on reading and 7.42 percentage points higher on mathematics compared to those who were never breastfed. While the breastfeeding advantage attenuated appreciably when adjusted for a range of child, maternal, socio-economic and socio-environmental characteristics, children who were breastfed continued to enjoy a significant test score advantage of 3.24 (pÂ

Suggested Citation

  • McCrory, Cathal & Layte, Richard, 2011. "The effect of breastfeeding on children's educational test scores at nine years of age: Results of an Irish cohort study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1515-1521, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:72:y:2011:i:9:p:1515-1521
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Orla Doyle & Lori Timmins, 2008. "“Breast is Best, But for How Long? Testing Breastfeeding Guidelines for Optimal Cognitive Ability," Working Papers 200821, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    2. Patrick Royston, 2004. "Multiple imputation of missing values," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 4(3), pages 227-241, September.
    3. Reilly, Siobhan & Evenhouse, Eirik, 2005. "Improved estimates of the benefits of breastfeeding using sibling comparisons to reduce selection bias," MPRA Paper 13434, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    1. Miki Kobayashi & Emiko Usui, 2017. "Breastfeeding practices and parental employment in Japan," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 579-596, June.
    2. Khudri, Md Mohsan & Hussey, Andrew, 2025. "Breastfeeding and child development outcomes across early childhood and adolescence: Doubly robust estimation with machine learning," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    3. Makate, Marshall & Makate, Clifton, 2016. "Is poor sanitation killing more children in rural Zimbabwe? Results of propensity score matching method," MPRA Paper 72831, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 02 Aug 2016.
    4. Barry J. Milne & Roy Lay-Yee & Jessica M. Mc Lay & Janet Pearson & Martin von Randow & Peter Davis, 2015. "Modelling the Early life-course (MELC): A Microsimulation Model of Child Development in New Zealand," International Journal of Microsimulation, International Microsimulation Association, vol. 8(2), pages 28-60.
    5. Md Mohsan Khudri & Andrew Hussey, 2025. "The long-term impacts of breastfeeding on educational attainment of adults," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1279-1300, December.
    6. repec:plo:pone00:0071548 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Aoife Brick & Anne Nolan, 2014. "Maternal Country of Birth Differences in Breastfeeding at Hospital Discharge in Ireland," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 45(4), pages 455-484.
    8. Rosa Rios & Hernan Riquelme & Sharif El Beshlawy, 2016. "Prescribing under the Influence: The Business of Breastmilk Substitutes," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-15, September.
    9. Borra, Cristina & Iacovou, Maria & Sevilla, Almudena, 2012. "The effect of breastfeeding on children's cognitive and noncognitive development," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 496-515.

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