Fasting During Pregnancy and Children's Academic Performance / Douglas Almond, Bhashkar Mazumder, Reyn van Ewijk.

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Almond, Douglas

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Material type: Text

TextSeries: Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) ; no. w17713.Publication details: Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2011.Description: 1 online resource: illustrations (black and white)Subject(s):

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Abstract: We consider the effects of daytime fasting by pregnant women during the lunar month of Ramadan on their children's test scores at age seven. Using English register data, we find that scores are .05 to .08 standard deviations lower for Pakistani and Bangladeshi students exposed to Ramadan in early pregnancy. These estimates are downward biased to the extent that Ramadan is not universally observed. We conclude that the effects of prenatal investments on test scores are comparable to many conventional educational interventions but are likely to be more cost effective and less subject to "fade out".

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Previous	nber w17710 The For-Profit Postsecondary School Sector: Nimble Critters or Agile Predators? /	nber w17711 Intermediaries in International Trade: Direct versus indirect modes of export /	nber w17712 Estimating Trade Elasticities: Demand Composition and the Trade Collapse of 2008-09 /	nber w17713 Fasting During Pregnancy and Children's Academic Performance /	nber w17714 Human Capital Risk, Contract Enforcement, and the Macroeconomy /	nber w17715 The Effects of California's Paid Family Leave Program on Mothers' Leave-Taking and Subsequent Labor Market Outcomes /	nber w17716 Trade And Industrialisation After Globalisation's 2nd Unbundling: How Building And Joining A Supply Chain Are Different And Why It Matters /	Next

December 2011.

We consider the effects of daytime fasting by pregnant women during the lunar month of Ramadan on their children's test scores at age seven. Using English register data, we find that scores are .05 to .08 standard deviations lower for Pakistani and Bangladeshi students exposed to Ramadan in early pregnancy. These estimates are downward biased to the extent that Ramadan is not universally observed. We conclude that the effects of prenatal investments on test scores are comparable to many conventional educational interventions but are likely to be more cost effective and less subject to "fade out".