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How Early Nutrition and Foundational Cognitive Skills Interconnect? Evidence from Two Developing Countries

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  • Sanchez, Alan

    (Group for the Analysis of Development (GRADE))

  • Favara, Marta

    (University of Oxford)

  • Sheridan, Margaret

    (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)

  • Behrman, Jere R.

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

While the long-term consequences of early stunting on educational attainment and on school achievement tests are well-known, there is scarce evidence about the specific mechanisms through which early stunting leads to poorer educational outcomes, especially in LMIC contexts. We use unique data collected in Ethiopia and Peru as part of the Young Lives to investigate the relationship between early undernutrition and four foundational cognitive skills, the first two of which measure executive functioning: working memory, inhibitory control, long-term memory, and implicit learning. We exploit the rich longitudinal data available to control for potential confounders at the household level and for time-invariant community characteristics and we use data for paired-siblings to obtain household fixed-effects estimates. We find that stunting is negatively related with the development of executive functions, predicting reductions in working memory and inhibitory control by 12.6% and 5.8% of a standard deviation.

Suggested Citation

  • Sanchez, Alan & Favara, Marta & Sheridan, Margaret & Behrman, Jere R., 2022. "How Early Nutrition and Foundational Cognitive Skills Interconnect? Evidence from Two Developing Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 15818, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15818
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Harold Alderman & John Hoddinott & Bill Kinsey, 2006. "Long term consequences of early childhood malnutrition," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 58(3), pages 450-474, July.
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    3. John A. Maluccio & John Hoddinott & Jere R. Behrman & Reynaldo Martorell & Agnes R. Quisumbing & Aryeh D. Stein, 2009. "The Impact of Improving Nutrition During Early Childhood on Education among Guatemalan Adults," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(537), pages 734-763, April.
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    7. Behrman, Jere R. & Deolalikar, Anil B., 1988. "Health and nutrition," Handbook of Development Economics, in: Hollis Chenery & T.N. Srinivasan (ed.), Handbook of Development Economics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 14, pages 631-711, Elsevier.
    8. Margaret A Sheridan & Khaled Sarsour & Douglas Jutte & Mark D'Esposito & W Thomas Boyce, 2012. "The Impact of Social Disparity on Prefrontal Function in Childhood," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(4), pages 1-13, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolas Pazos & Marta Favara & Alan Sánchez & Douglas Scott & Jere Behrman, 2022. "Long-term effects of rainfall shocks on foundational cognitive skills: Evidence from Peru," PIER Working Paper Archive 23-001, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    2. Richard Freund & Marta Favara & Catherine Porter & Jere Behrman, 2024. "Social Protection and Foundational Cognitive Skills during Adolescence: Evidence from a Large Public Works Program," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 38(2), pages 296-318.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    foundational cognitive skills; early nutrition; executive functions; Ethiopia; Peru;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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