Mario Martínez Jiménez is an Imperial College Research Fellow in the Department of Economics & Public Policy at Imperial College London - Business School, sponsored by Professor Dame Carol Propper and Dr Laure de Preux. I am an applied microeconomist with research interests in the fields of health economics, labour economics and public economics. My recent work lies in three main areas: child development, population change, and human capital formation. I first joined Imperial as a Research Associate in Economics at the Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation (CHEPI), investigating the efficacy of fiscal policies in motivating individuals to opt for healthier food alternatives. Prior to joining Imperial, I gained my PhD in Health Economics from Lancaster University, funded by the NIHR School for Public Health Research. I have a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), a Master of Science in Health Economics from the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), and a Master of Research in Applied Economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB).

Abstract:

The prevalence of children diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, has significantly increased over the past decade. This study examines how early-life factors, such as infant health and breastfeeding, affect the development of adaptive behaviour in children by the age of three in the United Kingdom. We use a novel dataset from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, which covers 4,573 children and provides comprehensive longitudinal information on parental and household characteristics, as well as infant health at birth and adaptive behaviour for young children. Our analysis draws on data collected between January 2011 and May 2023, focusing on children aged three during adaptive behaviour screenings were conducted. Using a range of empirical techniques, such as instrumental variables and within-sibling fixed effects, the findings indicate that breastfed children score higher in adaptive behaviour by the age of three. Children with poor perinatal health and those delivered by caesarean are more likely to experience slower development in adaptive behaviour. Our heterogenous analysis shows that adverse effects are predominantly observed among male children and children from mothers with non-white backgrounds. Socioeconomic status appears to be one of the most important mechanisms driving these deficits in their adaptive behaviour. These results highlight the potential benefits of early life intervention to improve child cognitive development, especially for vulnerable populations.

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