Open AccessEffects of short birth spacing on birth-order differences in child stunting: Evidence from India
Author(s) -
Sunaina Dhingra,
Prabhu Pingali
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2017834118
Subject(s) - firstborn , birth order , demography , fertility , psychological intervention , medicine , pediatrics , low birth weight , pregnancy , population , biology , psychiatry , sociology , genetics
Significance The question of whether firstborn children have a height advantage over later-born children is important, given the persistently poor height outcomes in developing countries. Using data on young Indian children, we show that later-born children lag behind firstborns in stunting outcomes. This is only true, though, if higher birth-order children were born within 3 y of the birth of their elder siblings. No difference in height-for-age is observed for children born with spacing of 3 or more years. India’s family planning interventions have largely focused on reducing the total fertility rate with less attention given to length of birth spacing between children. A stronger focus on increasing the time interval between births could prevent adverse stunting outcomes for surviving children.