Publication

Childhood vaccinations and adult schooling attainment: Long-term evidence from India’s Universal Immunization Programme

Authored by:

Nandi, A., Kumar, S., Shet, A., Bloom, D. E., & Laxminarayan, R.

Full Citation:

Nandi, A., Kumar, S., Shet, A., Bloom, D. E., & Laxminarayan, R. 2020. Childhood vaccinations and adult schooling attainment: Long-term evidence from India’s Universal Immunization Programme. Social Science & Medicine. 250.

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Additional key concepts from this publication:

Routine childhood vaccination is associated with improved schooling attainment

Key Evidence: Adults who were born after the implementation of India’s Universal Immunization Program (UIP) attained 0.18–0.29 additional grades of schooling compared to adults born before the UIP was implemented in their district of residence. According to the researchers, these findings indicate that childhood immunization could improve adult schooling attainment in India by as much as 10%.

Childhood vaccination can increase educational attainment, which results in a more productive workforce.

Key Evidence: An analysis of the impact of India’s Universal Immunization Program (UIP) on schooling attainment in adults found that women born after the UIP rollout attained 0.29 more schooling grades compared women from the same household born before UIP rollout. Among unmarried women, the UIP was associated with an increment of 1.2 schooling years, which corresponds to as much as an INR 35 (US $0.60) increase in daily wages.

Routine childhood vaccination is associated with increased educational attainment and earnings for women

Key Evidence: In an analysis of the impact of India’s Universal Immunization Program (UIP) on schooling attainment in adults, a subgroup analysis found a strong positive association between UIP implementation and increased school attainment for women. Women born after the UIP rollout attained 0.29 more schooling grades compared women from the same household born before UIP rollout. Among unmarried women, the UIP was associated with an increment of 1.2 schooling years, which corresponds to as much as an INR 35 (US $0.60) increase in daily wages. Thus, the researchers concluded that the UIP is also likely to improve the economic status of women in India.