Effects of Long-Term Malnutrition on Education Outcomes in Ghana: Evidence from a Panel Study

Abstract

Aside the direct effect on GDP at the macro level, the microeconomic impacts of undernutrition are also manifested in lower educational outcomes, reduced productivity and reduced lifetime earnings. This study sought to examine the effect of child malnutrition on learning outcomes by exploiting a nationally representative panel data which allow us to control for child-level unobserved heterogeneity in Ghana. Using a random-effects and Poisson estimations, this study shows that while current malnutrition affects children’s learning outcomes negatively, its effect may disappear in the future, especially with the implementation of appropriate interventions. The study concludes that while nutrition matters for learning outcomes, so do other educational inputs. Results are, however, differentiated by individual and household characteristics, including gender and locality. The evidence from this study serves as a useful tool for improving policies and programmes that focus on early feeding practices among pre-schoolers and improved nutrition of children of school-going age.