Child stunting is associated with weaker human capital among native Amazonians
Undurraga, Eduardo A. (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Escuela de Gobierno)
Behrman, Jere R. (University of Pennsylvania. Department of Economics and Population Studies Center)
Emmett, Susan D. (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)
Kidd, Celeste (University of Rochester. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences)
Leonard, William R. (Northwestern University. Department of Anthropology)
Piantadosi, Steven T. (University of Rochester. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences)
Reyes-García, Victoria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Sharma, Abhishek (Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital)
Zhang, Rebecca (Stanford University. Graduate School of Business)
Godoy, Ricardo A. (Heller School for Social Policy and Management)

Date:	2018
Abstract:	Objectives:We assessed associations between child stunting, recovery, and faltering with schooling and human capital skills in a native Amazonian society of horticulturalists-foragers (Tsimane'). - Methods: We used cross-sectional data (2008) from 1262 children aged 6 to 16 years in 53 villages to assess contemporaneous associations between three height categories: stunted (height-for-age Z score, HAZ<-2), moderately stunted (-2 ≤ HAZ≤-1), and nonstunted (HAZ>-1), and three categories of human capital: completed grades of schooling, test-based academic skills (math, reading, writing), and local plant knowledge. We used annual longitudinal data (2002-2010) from all children (n = 853) in 13 villages to estimate the association between changes in height categories between the first and last years of measure and schooling and academic skills. - Results: Stunting was associated with 0. 4 fewer completed grades of schooling (∼24% less) and with 13-15% lower probability of showing any writing or math skills. Moderate stunting was associated with ∼20% lower scores in local plant knowledge and 9% lower probability of showing writing skills, but was not associated with schooling or math and writing skills. Compared with nonstunted children, children who became stunted had 18-21% and 15-21% lower probabilities of showing math and writing skills, and stunted children had 0. 4 fewer completed grades of schooling. Stunted children who recovered showed human capital outcomes that were indistinguishable from nonstunted children. Conclusions: The results confirm adverse associations between child stunting and human capital skills. Predictors of growth recovery and faltering can affect human capital outcomes, even in a remote, economically self-sufficient society.
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Tots els drets reservats.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Published in:	American journal of human biology, Vol. 30, issue 1 (Jan./Feb. 2018) , e23059, ISSN 1042-0533

DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23059
PMID: 28901592

Postprint 46 p, 730.8 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
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