Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Economics

Major Professor

Padmaja Ayyagari, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Gabriel Picone, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Andrei Barbos, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Giulia La Mattina, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Abu S. Shonchoy, Ph.D.

Keywords

Female education, School stipend program, Child immunization, Obesity, Natural disasters, Child nutrition, Bangladesh

Abstract

My dissertation is titled "The Determinants of Women's and Children's Health in Bangladesh." The first chapter studies the impact of a Bangladeshi schooling program on child immunization rates. The program provided a stipend and other incentives to attend secondary school, significantly increasing rural girls' education. I hypothesize that this would lead to higher immunization rates in the next generation since better-educated mothers have better knowledge of health practices. The study uses a regression model ("difference-in-differences"), which is based on differential exposure to the 1994 Female Secondary School Stipend Program (FSSSP) by birth cohort and rural residence. I find that the FSSSP significantly increased education among rural girls and increased their children's full immunization rates.

The second chapter examines the effect of the education stipend program on women's obesity in Bangladesh. Obesity is a growing public health problem in Bangladesh, with 32.4% of women classified as overweight or obese. My project examines whether higher education and the resulting increase in income could explain the trends in obesity. This Chapter uses the same identification strategy as in Chapter One, based on the 1994 FSSSP, to identify causal effects. The study finds that obesity rates increase more among women eligible for a 5-year stipend than among women eligible for a 2-year stipend.

The third chapter investigates the impact of tropical storms on child health in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has the world's 9th (27.90%) highest risk of natural disasters because of its geographic location, landscape, population density, and poverty. Tropical storms may affect household income/wealth and access to maternal healthcare, which, in turn, influence child health. I use linear regression with "fixed effects", which capture geographic and temporal variation in child health and tropical storm exposure. I find that in-utero exposure to tropical storms decreases the height-for-age, weight-for-height, and weight-for-age z-scores among children under five and increases the probability of stunting, wasting, and becoming underweight. The findings suggest that exposure to natural disasters can have important long-term effects on child health, and the impact depends on the timing of exposure.

This research provides new information on the determinants of women's and children's well-being in Bangladesh.

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