Nutrition Programs

Malnutrition can severely undermine early childhood learning (Lupien et al. 2000; McCoy et al. 2016; Walker et al. 2007). Children in developing countries, particularly those at the bottom end of the income distribution, are subject to nutrient deprivation, infectious diseases, and chemically toxic or physically dangerous environments, which affect them not only after birth, but also in the womb. Just to illustrate the magnitude of these deprivations, 30% of children under 5 in developing countries are physically stunted, which is typically due to chronic malnutrition (Black et al. 2017). This lever measures the existence of social programs aimed at supporting mothers and their children in achieving proper nutrition in the early years, especially during the first 1,000 days of life. Examples of such social programs and supports include breastfeeding interventions and protections to micronutrient supplements. Many of these interventions have been linked to greater cognitive ability, leading to better educational outcomes in developing countries (Eilander et al. 2010; Horta et al. 2015).