Maternal group participation and child nutritional status in Peru

Abstract

In previous literature, social capital has been hypothesised as a substitute for other forms, such as physical and human capital. This working paper (published in 2012) contributes to this literature, studying the association between mothers’ access to social capital via participation in community organisations and their children’s nutritional status at 1 and 5 years. Using the Peruvian sample of the Young Lives project, this study suggests that, where human capital is scarce, social capital might have important implications for child development. Maternal social capital is positively associated with height at 1 year old for those children whose mothers have no formal education. No significant association is found at 5 years of age. 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