The effects of large-scale nutrition Interventions on Early Childhood and Neonatal Outcomes: evidence from Brazil

Abstract: This study exploits the introduction of a new prioritization criteria for food security interventions to estimate the marginal impact of such programs. Findings indicate that, in municipalities assigned to receive nutrition policies more intensely, the number of children receiving micronutrient supplements was higher. In addition, being prioritized was associated with a very small improvement in neonatal health, but no significant improvements in infant diarrhea morbidity. A heterogeneity analysis indicated that positive impacts in infant morbidity only exist for municipalities with higher supply of primary healthcare inputs.