Harold Alderman|Derek Headey
How Important is Parental Education for Child Nutrition?
International Food Policy Research Institute|International Food Policy Research Institute
existing evidence impacts parental education child nutrition plagued internal external validity concerns paper try address concerns novel econometric analysis 376992 preschool children 56 developing countries compare nave least square model specifications include cluster fixed effects cohortbased educational rankings reduce biases omitted variables gauging sensitivity subsamples exploring potential explanations educationnutrition linkages find estimated nutritional returns parental education substantially reduced models include fixed effects cohort rankings b larger mothers fathers c generally increasing minimal primary education increasing household wealth e larger countriesregions higher burdens undernutrition f larger countriesregions higher schooling quality g highly variable across country subsamples results imply substantial uncertainty variability returns education results stringent models imply even achievement ambitious education targets would lead modest reductions stunting rates highburden countries speculate education might impact nutritional status next generation school curricula focused directly improving health nutritional knowledge future parents