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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Height and cognitive achievement among Indian children
1Economics Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA. dspears@princeton.edu
Economics and Human Biology
|September 13, 2011
Summary
Children's height is linked to cognitive achievement. In India, this height-achievement link is twice as steep as in the U.S., with water, sanitation, and hygiene playing a key role.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Health Economics
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- A positive association between child height and cognitive achievement is documented, primarily in high-income countries.
- Early-life health and nutrition are key factors influencing the height-achievement relationship.
- Limited research exists on this phenomenon in low- and middle-income countries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between child height and cognitive achievement in India.
- To compare the height-achievement slope in India with that observed in the U.S.
- To identify factors, including early-life conditions, that may mediate this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), a nationally representative sample of 40,000 households.
- Matched anthropometric data (height) with learning test scores for children.
- Employed regression analysis, controlling for contemporary and early-life variables, including water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
Main Results:
- A significant height-achievement slope was observed among Indian children, more than twice as steep as in the U.S.
- Controlling for early-life conditions reduced the effect of height but did not eliminate it.
- One standard deviation increase in height was associated with a 5 percentage point increase in the likelihood of being able to write, falling to 3.4 percentage points after controlling for covariates.
Conclusions:
- Child height is a significant predictor of cognitive achievement in India.
- Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions may be crucial for improving children's cognitive outcomes.
- The findings highlight the importance of addressing early-life conditions to enhance educational attainment in developing countries.
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