Child health and conflict in Afghanistan

To estimate the impact of armed conflict on child health, I use ACLED data on location and timing of conflict in Afghanistan and MICS survey data on households. To identify exposure to conflict, I use provincial variation in intensity of conflict and the exposure of children’s birth cohorts to conflict. Provinces are classified into low, medium, and high intensity provinces based on conflict events between 2017 – 2021. After controlling for child characteristics, parental characteristics, and household characteristics, I find that an additional month of exposure to medium intensity conflict decreases child height for age z-score by 0.0045 standard deviations compared to non-exposed children living in low conflict provinces while an additional month of exposure to high intensity conflict decreases child height for age z-score by 0.0061 standard deviations compared to non-exposed children living in low conflict provinces.