The rise and fall of SES gradients in heights around the world

Elisabetta Aurino, Adriana Lleras-Muney, Alessandro Tarozzi and Brendan Tinoco

Journal of Health Economics, 2023, vol. 91, issue C

Abstract: We use data from a large sample of low- and middle-income countries to study the association (or “gradient”) between child height and maternal education. We show that the gap in height between high- and low-SES children is small at birth, rises throughout childhood, and declines in adolescence as girls and boys go through puberty. This inverted U-shaped pattern is consistent with a degree of catch-up in linear height among children of low- relative to high-SES families, in partial contrast to the argument that height deficits cannot be overcome after the early years of life. This finding appears to be explained by the association between SES and the timing of puberty and therefore of the adolescent growth spurt: low-SES children start their adolescent growth spurt later and stop growing at later ages as well.

Keywords: Height; Socio-economic status; Maternal schooling; Catch-up; Low- and middle-income countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I14 I15 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: The Rise and Fall of SES Gradients in Heights around the World (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:91:y:2023:i:c:s0167629623000747

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2023.102797

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