Aids treatment and intrahousehold resource allocations
Subtitle: children's nutrition and schooling in kenya
By: Joshua S. Graff Zivin, Harsha Thirumurthy, Markus Goldstein
Contributors: Zivin, Joshua S. Graff; Thirumurthy,Harsha; Goldstein, Markus; National Bureau of Economic Research
Series: NBER working paper series -- working paper 12689; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) -- working paper no. 12689.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] :
Description: "The provision of life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has emerged as a key component of the global response to HIV/AIDS, but very little is known about the impact of this intervention on the welfare of children in the households of treated persons.  We estimate the impact of ARV treatment on children's schooling and nutrition outcomes using longitudinal household survey data collected in collaboration with a treatment program in western Kenya.  We find that children's weekly hours of school attendance increase by over 20 percent within six months after treatment is initiated for the adult household member.  For boys in treatment households, these increases closely follow their reduced market labor supply.  Similarly, young children's short-term nutritional status--as measured by their weight-for-height Z-score--also improves dramatically.  We argue that these treatment effects will be considerably larger when compared to the counterfactual scenario of no ARV treatment.  The results provide evidence on how intrahousehold resource allocation is altered in response to significant health improvements.  Since the improvements in children's schooling and nutrition at these critical early ages will affect their socio-economic outcomes in adulthood, the widespread provision of ARV treatment is likely to generate significant long-run macroeconomic benefits"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Title from PDF file as viewed on 12/20/2006.

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