Effects of breastfeeding duration on educational attainment of children and adolescents in low-and-middle income countries: A multisite analysis of

longitudinal data.

The World Health Organisation recommends that mothers should exclusively breastfeed their children for six months and continue breastfeeding alongside other foods until the child is two or more years old. Breastfeeding protects children against diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory tract infections, asthma, and reduces mortality. Studies have also found that breastfeeding aids the development of children's thought processes, including remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making. However, there are few studies from low-income countries, and few that have looked at the effect of breastfeeding on the later school performance of young children and adolescents. This proposed project, therefore, aims to investigate the effects of breastfeeding duration on the educational attainment of young children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. We will use data from existing studies and use statistical techniques to disentangle the possible direct effects of breastfeeding on education outcomes, from other factors that are likely to influence this association, such as the mother's educational level.