Child labor and the nutritional status of Colombian children

This paper studies the relationship between child labor and the nutritional status of Colombian children. The effect of child labor on the nutrition of children with ages between 6 and 17 years is analyzed using data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2005. Evidence is found about a positive relationship between children labor and their nutrition, which is affected in some cases by school attendance and by belonging to the poorest quintile of the population of study. Results suggest that child labor has a positive effect on nutrition through the greater income it generates, either by directly contributing to an increase in household income, or by releasing adults from household chores, allowing them to work in other activities. Supporting theory and empirical evidence, socioeconomic variables from household are strongly related with the nutritional status of children.