The Role of Antenatal Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation in Shaping Cognitive Achievement among School Age Children in India: A Perspective of Human Capital Formation

Ajay Verma, Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
Jadi Bala Komaraiah, Banaras Hindu University
Achal Gaur, Banaras Hindu University

Nutritional status of children in early age effects their cognitive and learning achievement in later age of life. Iron and folic acid deficiency are major micronutrient deficiencies that affects growth, energy levels, as well as motor and cognitive performance in developing children. This analysis used 6152 children from the panel dataset from IHDS-2004–2005 and IHDS-2011–2012. To examine the relationship and causal association between the consumption of iron and folic acid during pregnancy and children's cognitive achievements, we used multivariate ordered logistic regression, multivariate logistic regression, linear regression, and applied propensity score matching. Findings of this analysis show that children whose mothers consumed IFA for more than or equal to 90 days during pregnancy had 1.41 times higher odds in math score, 1.26 times higher odds in reading score, and 1.39 times higher odds in writing score compared to children whose mothers consumed IFA tablets for less than 90 days. Similarly, the results of the treatment effect show that the consumption of IFA tablets for more or equal to 90 days during pregnancy makes their children 6%, 4%, and 5.6% more likely to score higher in math, reading, and writing tasks, respectively, compared with children whose mothers did not take at least 90 IFA tablets during pregnancy.

Keywords: Human Capital, Education, and Work

See paper.