Anemia, diet, and cognitive development: Impact of health information on diet quality and child nutrition in rural India

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
Year: 2021
Volume: 190
Issue: C
Pages: 495-523

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Lack of information about health risks may limit the adoption of improved nutrition and other new healthy behaviors. This paper studies the effect of a nutrition-information intervention on household dietary behavior, hemoglobin levels, and cognitive outcomes of children in rural India. Using experimental data and a regression discontinuity design that exploits the exogenous cutoff of hemoglobin level for anemia, we find statistically insignificant treatment effects on dietary improvements, child health, and cognitive outcomes of children. Our findings suggest that light-touch nutrition information alone, even when parents are informed about the health risk of their children, may not induce adoption of healthy behaviors. Our findings also imply that factors other than information might constrain households in making nutritional investments for their children.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jeborg:v:190:y:2021:i:c:p:495-523
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25