The Effect of the Second Child on the Anthropometric Outcomes and Nutrition Intake of the First Child: Evidence from the Relaxation of the One-Child Policy in Rural China

Abstract

Abstract This paper attempts to isolate the actual effect of the second child on the anthropometric outcomes and nutrition intake of the first child in rural China, using an exogenous increase in child quantity due to the relaxation of the One-Child Policy (OCP). We utilize both temporal and geographic variation in the OCP, as families are less likely to have the second child if the OCP in their community is strictly enforced after the birth of their first child. Based on a sample of children aged 6–17 from the 1991–2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey, we find that an increase in the number of children significantly decreases the weight and height of first-born girls, but not first-born boys. The worse anthropometric outcomes could be due to the change in the dietary pattern—compared with the only children, first-born girls in two-child families tend to intake less high-fat and high-protein food (e.\u2009g. meats, poultry, and milk).