THE INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF MOTHERS SCHOOLING AND UNSUPPLEMENTED BREAST-FEEDING ON CHILD HEALTH

This paper estimates a non-linear relationship between duration of breastfeeding and child height-for-age. For this sample of children, health benefits from unsupplemented breastfeeding differ by mother's education, with children of less educated mothers deriving the most gains. These results suggest that more educated mothers are able to provide wholesome substitutes to breastmilk without producing ill effects. Results are sensitive to the estimation technique used, with 2SLS estimates showing statistical significance and substantial health gains compared to OLS estimates. © 1990.