How responsive is body weight to transitory income changes? Evidence from rural Tanzania

Type Journal Article - Journal of Development Economics
Title How responsive is body weight to transitory income changes? Evidence from rural Tanzania
Author(s)
Volume 92
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2010
Page numbers 53-61
URL http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/hhsuunewp/2007_5f020.htm
Abstract
We use time-series of rainfall to estimate the response of body weight to transitory changes in household income in rural Tanzania. We find that the response of body weight to income changes is positive on average, but that the impact is highest for female children, and lower for adults. For female children, a ten-percent increase in household income implies an increase in body weight by about 0.4 kg. In contrast, the body weight of adolescents and young adults is virtually invariant to income changes.

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