Identifying Catch-Up Trajectories in Child Growth
Definitions of catch-up growth in anthropometric outcomes among young children vary across studies. This paper distinguishes between catch-up in the mean of a group toward that of a healthy reference population versus catch-up within the group, associated with a narrowing of the outcome distribution. In contrast to conventional empirical approaches based on dynamic panel models, the paper shows how catch-up can be tested via a latent growth framework. Combined with a flexible estimator incorporating individual-specific intercepts and slopes, this enables between- and within-group forms of catch-up to be tested in a unified setting. The application of the proposed approach reveals significant differences in the nature, extent, and drivers of catch-up growth across the four Young Lives countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam). In addition, the paper shows how conclusions about catch-up are sensitive to the way in which anthropometric outcomes are expressed.
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018-02
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| Subjects: | CHILD DEVELOPMENT, CHILD HEALTH, EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, DEMOGRAPHICS, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/651561519323236232/Identifying-catch-up-trajectories-in-child-growth-new-methods-with-evidence-from-young-lives https://hdl.handle.net/10986/29413 |
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