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This paper compares the statures of men during late adolescence, measured at age 19, with the stature in adulthood, measured at age 25, specially focusing on the influences of household situation and family stress. On average, the men studied became five centimeters taller in the interval, but there was a large individual variation as the shortest men realized the largest 'catch-up' growth. We study how childhood deprivation impacted on growth in adolescence. Childhood deprivation was measured, apart from socioeconomic status and social cultural characteristics of the household, through family size, number of siblings, mortality clustering in the family, and certain characteristics of the mother. In particular, we are interested in the question whether these early-life experiences had a lasting effect, in other words to what extent they were still visible at age 25 and to what extent they influenced the potential for catch-up growth. Our results indicate that the independent influence of family composition was very weak. When comparing temporary and lasting effects on male stature, we see that in general the influences of socioeconomic status and sociocultural factors were, although weaker, still visible at age 25. The results also make clear, that the height at the age of 19 is a better, more sensitive, indicator for the circumstances in which a child grew up. The results of this exercise should be interpreted with caution, as they are based on a small number of cases.

Understanding the flow of resources at the country level to reproductive health is essential for effective financing of this key component of health. This paper gives a comprehensive picture of the allocation of resources for reproductive health in Kenya and the challenges faced in the resource-tracking process. Data are drawn from Kenyan budget estimates, reproductive health accounts, and the Resource Flows Project database and compare budgets and spending in 2005-06 with 2009-10. Despite policies and programmes in place since 1994, services for family planning, maternity care and infant and child health face serious challenges. As regards health financing, the government spends less than the average in sub-Saharan Africa, while donor assistance and out-of-pocket expenditure for health are high. Donor assistance to Kenya has increased over the years, but the percentage of funds devoted to reproductive health is lower than it was in 2005. We recommend an increase in the budget and spending for reproductive health in order to achieve MDG targets on maternal mortality and universal access to reproductive health in Kenya. Safety nets for the poor are also needed to reduce the burden of spending by households. Lastly, we recommend the generation of more comprehensive reproductive health accounts on a regular basis.

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