Identifying Catch-Up Trajectories in Child Growth : New Methods with Evidence from Young Lives
Definitions of catch-up growth in anthropometric outcomes among young children vary across studies. This paper distinguishes between catch-up in the mean of a group toward that of a healthy reference population versus catch-up within the group, ass...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/651561519323236232/Identifying-catch-up-trajectories-in-child-growth-new-methods-with-evidence-from-young-lives http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29413 |
| Summary: | Definitions of catch-up growth in
anthropometric outcomes among young children vary across
studies. This paper distinguishes between catch-up in the
mean of a group toward that of a healthy reference
population versus catch-up within the group, associated with
a narrowing of the outcome distribution. In contrast to
conventional empirical approaches based on dynamic panel
models, the paper shows how catch-up can be tested via a
latent growth framework. Combined with a flexible estimator
incorporating individual-specific intercepts and slopes,
this enables between- and within-group forms of catch-up to
be tested in a unified setting. The application of the
proposed approach reveals significant differences in the
nature, extent, and drivers of catch-up growth across the
four Young Lives countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru, and
Vietnam). In addition, the paper shows how conclusions about
catch-up are sensitive to the way in which anthropometric
outcomes are expressed. |
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