The Inter-Generational Health Effect of Early Malnutrition: Evidence from the 1983-85 Ethiopian Famine

Type Working Paper
Title The Inter-Generational Health Effect of Early Malnutrition: Evidence from the 1983-85 Ethiopian Famine
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2016
URL https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2972977
Abstract
Early malnutrition can have adverse long-term effects, leading to poor health across generations. In this paper, using exposure to the 1983-85 Ethiopian famine as an exogenous shock, I examine the inter-generational health effects of early exposure to famine. Linking the Ethiopian Socioeconomic Survey with the 1984 Ethiopian Census, I show that both in utero and early childhood (age 0-3) exposure to the 1983-85 Ethiopian famine increases the probability of stunting and reduces the height-for-age z score of the next generation. The inter-generational health effects of the famine are severe on the pre-famine and maternal cohort than the famine and paternal cohort. This finding suggests that a policy intervention that aims to reduce childhood malnutrition can have a return that transfer across generations.

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