Wealth Disparities for Early Childhood Anthropometrics and Skills: Evidence from Chilean Longitudinal Data

Abstract

We study wealth disparities in the formation of anthropometrics, cognitive skills and socio-emotional skills. We use a sample of preschool and early school children in Chile. We extend the previous literature by using longitudinal data, which allow us to study the dynamics of child growth and skills formation. Also, we include information on mother's and father's schooling attainment and mother's cognitive ability. We find that there are no significant anthropometric differences favoring the better-off at birth (and indeed length differences at birth to the disadvantage of the better-off), but during the first 30 months of life wealth disparities in heightfor-age z scores (HAZ) favoring the better-off emerge. Moreover, we find wealth disparities in cognitive skills favoring the better-off emerge early in life and continue after children turn 6 years of age. We find no concurrent wealth disparities for and socio-emotional skills. Thus, even though the wealth disparities in birth outcomes if anything favor the poor, significant disparities favoring the rich emerge in the early post-natal period. Mother's education and cognitive ability also are significantly associated with disparities in skill formation. AbstractWe study wealth disparities in the formation of anthropometrics, cognitive

Parental Investments and Children's Human Capital in Low-to-Middle-Income Countries

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Physical and psychosocial development of Mapuche and nonindigenous Chilean toddlers: A modest role of ethnicity

“…They mainly have focused on the socioeconomic impact on the development of early childhood. For instance, Behrman, Palma, and Puentes (2017) analyzed data of children´s differences on anthropometrics measures, and they showed that there were no significant differences between low- and high-income families. At birth, there is a slight difference favoring the poorest in height, but it disappears over time.…”

Center-Based Child Care and Differential Improvements in the Child Development Outcomes of Disadvantaged Children

“…Data from Chile, where the current study is focused, also has significant wealth gaps in child development. Even though there are no differences in anthropometrics by SES as birth, differences in height-for-age z-scores emerge by 30 months suggesting that disadvantaged children have a weaker base of physical development supporting cognitive development (Behrman et al, 2017). Additionally, disparities in cognitive and socio-emotional skills emerge during the preschool years, although these decrease as children enter elementary school.…”