This project involved the concatenation of longitudinal data sets from several key early childhood educational programs for poor children in order to study the dynamic evolution of capabilities that promote adult and child mental health, and the role of education, parental investments, and community influences on this developmental process. The investigators adopted a developmental approach which links the early years to adulthood, with the aim to uncover causal pathways and identify critical and sensitive periods for intervention. Particular emphasis was given to understanding the social and biological determinants of health disparities, and how these disparities emerge, evolve, and widen throughout different developmental periods. The long-run aim was to shift the focus of current health policy from treatment to prevention.
An Integrated Lifecycle and Intergenerational Approach to Health and Other Capabilities
Area(s) of Work: Child Health and Development
National Bureau of Economic Research
02/01/2011 to 05/31/2014
$304,274