Journal Article
The effect of breastfeeding on children's cognitive and noncognitive development
Authors
Publication date
Aug 2012
Summary
This paper uses Propensity Score Matching methods to investigate the relationship between breastfeeding and children's cognitive and noncognitive development. We find that breastfeeding for four weeks is positively and statistically significantly associated with higher cognitive test scores, by around one tenth of a standard deviation. The association between breastfeeding and noncognitive development is weaker, and is restricted to children of less educated mothers. We conclude that interventions which increase breastfeeding rates would improve not only children's health, but also their cognitive skills, and possibly also their noncognitive development.
Published in
Labour Economics
Volume and page numbers
19 , 496 -515
DOI
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2012.05.007
ISSN
16
Links
http://serlib0.essex.ac.uk/record=b1650556~S5
Notes
Albert Sloman Library Periodicals *restricted to Univ. Essex registered users*
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