Effect of Iron Deficiency on Worker Productivity through Production Function Intermediates

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the mechanisms of the effect of iron deficiency on worker productivity through production function intermediates. Female subjects (n=217, age=18–55 y) participated in a dietary iron intervention (double fortified salt, DFS) on a tea estate in West Bengal, India. Productivity was assessed as work output measured in kilograms of tea picked per day over one week. The intermediates were iron status, measured through total body iron; energy expenditure, estimated through accelerometry and heart rate monitoring; cognitive function, measured through the attention network task, simple reaction test, temporal threshold task, and contrast threshold task; infectious diseases morbidity, measured through white blood cell counts, alpha‐1‐acid glycoprotein, and C‐reactive protein; physiological health, measured through body mass index and mid‐upper arm circumference; and labor/leisure trade‐off, measured through changes in discretionary time outside of work. The difference‐in‐difference method was used to find the changes in productivity between the treatment (DFS) and control (iodine only) groups. The Oaxaca‐Blinder Decomposition was applied to decompose the total change in worker output into two parts: changes in each production function input and the changing returns of those inputs. Supported by the Mathile Institute and Micronutrient Initiative