Is there a link between eating enough nutrients as a toddler and increased pay as an adult? A 30 year-old study believes so.
John Hoddinott of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington D.C. led a study which analyzed data on 1,424 Guatemalans aged 25-42 who grew up in four villages.
The study actually began in the 1970’s, with the Guatemalans in two of the villages enrolling in a nutritional supplement program. They, as toddlers, were given a drink called atole, which is filled with several key nutrients.
The children in the other two villages were given a less nutritional supplement. Both, however, lived in the same conditions.
When Hoddinott compared the results from many years ago, he realized that the children who were given the more-nutritious supplement pulled in hourly wages 46% higher than those children who took the lower-calorie alternative.
The only odd thing about the results is that it only applied to men, even though women were included in the study. The men had greater strength and stamina causing higher performance and better wages, while the women had improved reading and learning skills but not economic gain.
However, the difference could be that women partake in less economic opportunities than men, because many become housewives and mothers.
So, a word to those mom’s-to-be out there: If you give your baby the nutrients it needs for the first few years of his life, he’ll grow up to have 46% higher pay than his friends. Or so John Hoddinot believes.
