Abstract
In school age children and adolescents, anemia might cause lower cognitive function and attention span, which in turn could diminish human capital accumulation. As children born in low-income households are more likely to be anemic, this may prevent many individuals from overcoming the intergenerational poverty traps. In this paper, we used data from the Mexican National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012 and focused on a sample of adolescents between 12 and 19 years of age to study the relationship between attending school without delay—our proxy for school performance—and anemia. We found a statistically significant association between the two variables. If this relationship is causal, the economic burden linked to the loss of school years could well exceed the costs associated with programs aimed at reducing the prevalence of anemia in vulnerable populations. Our results provide additional support to the existing literature on anemia as a significant barrier to school achievement.
Highlights
Anemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells is insufficient to meet the physiological requirements of humans [1]
We have analyzed the relationship between attending school without delay and anemia using the Mexican student population between 12 and 19 years of age
We have run a set of regressions of school attendance without delay on anemia and confounding factors
Summary
Anemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells is insufficient to meet the physiological requirements of humans [1]. There are a number of pathological causes related to this disease. In neonates and young infants, immune hemolytic disease, infection, and hereditary disorders are most common. In older children, acquired causes of anemia are more likely, iron deficiency anemia. Anemia affects approximately 32.9% of the world population [2], with a higher concentration in low and middle-income countries. The prevalence of anemia in Mexico was 23.3% in children between 1 and 4 years old, 10.1%
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