Long-term economic effect of early childhood nutrition

Abstract

The ultimate goal of early-life nutritional interventions is to produce healthier and more productive adults, but the establishment of reliable empirical evidence is challenging in view of the complex dynamics that underlie the joint evolution of health and economic wellbeing throughout life. 1 Strauss J Thomas D Health, nutrition and economic development. J Econ Lit. 1998; 36: 766-817 Google Scholar Most studies of the link between nutrition and productivity use indirect evidence for the effects of adult height 2 Thomas D Strauss J Health and wages: evidence on men and women in urban Brazil. J Econometrics. 1997; 77: 159-185 Crossref PubMed Scopus (238) Google Scholar (physical health) and schooling 3 Sahn D Alderman H The effect of human capital on wages and the determinants of labor supply in a developing country. J Devel Econ. 1988; 29: 157-183 Crossref Scopus (99) Google Scholar (human capital) on wages, on the basis that both height and schooling are thought to be partly determined by early-life nutrition. 4 Behrman JR Rosenzweig MR Returns to birthweight. Rev Econ Stat. 2004; 86: 586-601 Crossref Scopus (448) Google Scholar For example, a review 5 Grantham-McGregor S Cheung YB Cueto S et al. Developmental potential in the first 5 years for children in developing countries. Lancet. 2007; 369: 60-70 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1930) Google Scholar in 2007 reported that the mean academic qualifications of Brazilian men with stunting were 0·9 grades lower than in those without stunting, and that each grade attained raises hourly earnings by about 10% in developing countries. Evidence from Brazil and the USA indicates that adult height affects wages even after controlling for education and that the effect is strongest for male manual labourers. 1 Strauss J Thomas D Health, nutrition and economic development. J Econ Lit. 1998; 36: 766-817 Google Scholar , 2 Thomas D Strauss J Health and wages: evidence on men and women in urban Brazil. J Econometrics. 1997; 77: 159-185 Crossref PubMed Scopus (238) Google Scholar Effect of a nutrition intervention during early childhood on economic productivity in Guatemalan adultsImproving nutrition in early childhood led to substantial increases in wage rates for men, which suggests that investments in early childhood nutrition can be long-term drivers of economic growth. Full-Text PDF