Effects of short birth spacing on birth-order differences in child stunting: Evidence from India

Sunaina Dhingra and Prabhu L. Pingali ()
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Sunaina Dhingra: Tata–Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853
Prabhu L. Pingali: Tata–Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2021, vol. 118, issue 8, e2017834118

Abstract: Do firstborn children have a height advantage? Empirical findings have found mostly that, yes, second or higher-order children often lag behind firstborns in height outcomes, especially in developing countries. However, empirical investigations of birth-order effects on child height overlook the potential impact that birth spacing can have. We provide an explanation for the negative birth-order effect on stunting outcomes for young Indian children and show it is driven by short preceding-birth spacing. We find that firstborn children are taller than children of higher birth order: The height-for-age gap for third (or higher)-order children is twice the gap for children second in birth order. However, this pattern is observed when spacing between later-born children and their immediate elder siblings is fewer than 3 y. Interestingly, the firstborn height advantage disappears when later-born children are born at least 3 y after their elder siblings. Thus, our findings indicate that spacing length between children explains differences in height, over birth order. Although India’s family planning policy has resulted in a substantial reduction in total fertility, its achievement in spacing subsequent births has been less impressive. In showing that spacing can alleviate or aggravate birth-order effects on attained height, our study fills an evidence gap: Reducing fertility alone may not be sufficient in overcoming negative birth-order effects. To reduce the detrimental effects of birth order on child stunting, policy responses—and therefore research priorities—require a stronger focus on increasing the time period between births.

Keywords: stunting; birth spacing; nutrition; family planning; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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