Disparities in children’s vocabulary and height in relation to household wealth and parental schooling

Abstract

Children from low socio-economic status households often demonstrate worse growth and developmental outcomes than wealthier children, in part because poor children face a broader range of risk factors. It is difficult to characterize the trajectories of SES disparities in low- and middle-income countries because longitudinal data are infrequently available. The authors analyse measures of children’s linear growth (height) at ages 1, 5, 8 and 12 years and receptive language (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) at ages 5, 8 and 12 years in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam in relation to household SES, measured by parental schooling or household assets. Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, following the lives of 12,000 children in 4 countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) over 15 years. Young Lives is funded by the UK Department for International Development