Early Stimulation and Nutrition: The Impacts of a Scalable Intervention

48 Pages Posted: 25 Sep 2018

See all articles by Orazio Attanasio

Orazio Attanasio

Dept of Economics Yale University; Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); University College London - Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Helen Baker-Henningham

Bangor University - Bangor University

Raquel Bernal

Universidad de los Andes, Colombia - Department of Economics

Costas Meghir

Yale University; Yale University - Cowles Foundation; Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Diana Pineda

Fundación Éxito

Marta Rubio-Codina

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

Multiple version iconThere are 3 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 31, 2018

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effects of the implementation of a structured early stimulation curriculum combined with a nutritional intervention through public large-scale parenting support services for vulnerable families in rural Colombia, known as FAMI, using a clustered randomized controlled trial. We randomly assigned 87 towns in rural areas to treatment and control and 1,460 children younger than 1 year of age were assessed at baseline. The interventions were also complemented with training, supervision and coaching of FAMI program facilitators. We assessed program effects on children’s nutritional status, and on cognitive and socio-emotional development; as well as on parental practices. The interventions had a positive and significant effect on a cognitive development factor based on the Bayley-III of 0.15 standard deviations. We also report a reduction of 5.8 percentage points in the fraction of children whose height-for-age is below -1 standard deviation. We do not find any effects on socio-emotional development. We report positive and statistically significant effects on the quality of the home environment (0.34 SD).

Keywords: Early childhood development, Parenting, Early stimulation, Program scale-up

JEL Classification: J13, I10, I20, H43

Suggested Citation

Attanasio, Orazio and Baker-Henningham, Helen and Bernal, Raquel and Meghir, Costas and Pineda, Diana and Rubio-Codina, Marta, Early Stimulation and Nutrition: The Impacts of a Scalable Intervention (August 31, 2018). Cowles Foundation Discussion Paper No. 2145, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3250771 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3250771

Orazio Attanasio

Dept of Economics Yale University ( email )

28 Hillhouse Ave
New Haven, CT 06520-8268
United States

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)

7 Ridgmount Street
London, WC1E 7AE
United Kingdom

University College London - Department of Economics ( email )

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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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United States

Helen Baker-Henningham

Bangor University - Bangor University ( email )

Raquel Bernal

Universidad de los Andes, Colombia - Department of Economics ( email )

Carrera 1a No. 18A-10
Santafe de Bogota, AA4976
Colombia

Costas Meghir (Contact Author)

Yale University ( email )

37 Hillhouse avenue
New Haven, CT CT 06511
United States
+12034323558 (Phone)

Yale University - Cowles Foundation ( email )

Box 208281
New Haven, CT 06520-8281
United States

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ( email )

7 Ridgmount Street
London, WC1E 7AE
United Kingdom

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

London
United Kingdom

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Diana Pineda

Fundación Éxito ( email )

Colombia

Marta Rubio-Codina

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) ( email )

7 Ridgmount Street
London, WC1E 7AE
United Kingdom

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