CHILDREN’S HEALTH GRADIENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: EVIDENCE FROM INDONESIA

Abstract

Using data of children under age fifteen in Indonesia, I examine how the health gradient among children evolves over age. It is found that health status is strongly correlated with household income among children younger than seven, but not so among the older school-aged children. I find evidence that schooling explains partly the pattern, as schooling has a positive impact on health status of children of low-income families, but little impact on health status of children of high-income families. Accessibility to healthcare providers is found to play a significant role in shaping the gradient, but it does not explain directly the observed evolving pattern of the gradient.