PRICES, INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSEHOLD CHARACTERISTICS AND CHILD HEIGHT

The relation between parental characteristics, community characteristics and child height is examined using Brazilian household survey data, matched with information collected at the municipio level. Child height is significantly affected by local infrastructure, particularly the availability of modem sewerage, piped water and electricity. Higher sugar and dairy prices are associated with lower child height, although mothers with at least elementary schooling are able to counteract the deleterious impact of prices. Negative price effects are, however, largest for children in higher expenditure households suggesting that the impact of mother's education on child height does not solely reflect resource availability.