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Implications of women's work for child nutritional status in sub-Saharan Africa: a case study of Nigeria

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  • Ukwuani, Festus A.
  • Suchindran, Chirayath M.

Abstract

The study examines the relationships between women's work and child nutritional status (stunting and wasting) of 5331 Nigerian children aged 0-59 months, using data from the 1990 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. In defining women's work, the study considers whether women earned cash from their work and carried their children to work in order to assess the importance of childcare and income, which are the principal pathways through which women's work affects child nutritional status. The study also examines infants and children differently in order to assess the influence of child's age on nutritional status. The results reveal that wasting among infants increased when mothers did not take them to work. Furthermore, mothers' work reduced stunting in their children, but the expected positive effect of earning cash from work on childhood nutrition was less visible from the results. Other results from the study revealed that during infancy, having recent episodes of diarrhea or shorter breast-feeding duration increased wasting. Additionally, wasting was lower during infancy for children in households with pit toilets and children with Christian mothers. For infants, immunization reduced stunting, but longer duration of breast-feeding, being a higher parity child, being in households with pit toilets increased stunting. During childhood, higher birth weight, immunization, and having a Christian mother reduced stunting and wasting. Children in wealthy households are less likely to be stunted, while mother's education and being a higher parity child increased stunting. Also during childhood, having a Christian mother reduced wasting while recent episodes of fever increased wasting.

Suggested Citation

  • Ukwuani, Festus A. & Suchindran, Chirayath M., 2003. "Implications of women's work for child nutritional status in sub-Saharan Africa: a case study of Nigeria," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 56(10), pages 2109-2121, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:56:y:2003:i:10:p:2109-2121
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    Cited by:

    1. Kumar, Sumit & Patel, Ratna & Chauhan, Shekhar, 2020. "Does land possession among working women empower them and improve their child health: A study based on National Family Health Survey-4," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    2. Jones, Andrew D. & Cruz Agudo, Yesmina & Galway, Lindsay & Bentley, Jeffery & Pinstrup-Andersen, Per, 2012. "Heavy agricultural workloads and low crop diversity are strong barriers to improving child feeding practices in the Bolivian Andes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(9), pages 1673-1684.
    3. Pakrashi, Debayan & Saha, Sarani, 2020. "Intergenerational consequences of maternal domestic violence: Effect on nutritional status of children," GLO Discussion Paper Series 551, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Ahmed Shoukry Rashad & Mesbah Fathy Sharaf, 2019. "Does maternal employment affect child nutrition status? New evidence from Egypt," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(1), pages 48-62, January.
    5. Olivia Nankinga & Betty Kwagala & Eddy J Walakira, 2019. "Maternal employment and child nutritional status in Uganda," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(12), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Zewdie, Tadiwos & Abebaw, Degnet, 2013. "Determinants of Child Malnutrition: Empirical Evidence from Kombolcha District of Eastern Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia," Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, Humboldt-Universitaat zu Berlin, vol. 52(4), pages 1-16, November.
    7. Dury, S. & Alpha, A. & Bichard, A., 2014. "What risks do agricultural interventions entail for nutrition?," Working Papers MoISA 201403, UMR MoISA : Montpellier Interdisciplinary center on Sustainable Agri-food systems (social and nutritional sciences): CIHEAM-IAMM, CIRAD, INRAE, L'Institut Agro, Montpellier SupAgro, IRD - Montpellier, France.
    8. Larrea, Carlos & Kawachi, Ichiro, 2005. "Does economic inequality affect child malnutrition? The case of Ecuador," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(1), pages 165-178, January.
    9. Brauner-Otto, Sarah & Baird, Sarah & Ghimire, Dirgha, 2019. "Maternal employment and child health in Nepal: The importance of job type and timing across the child's first five years," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 94-105.
    10. Rieger, Matthias & Wagner, Natascha, 2015. "Child health, its dynamic interaction with nutrition and health memory – Evidence from Senegal," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 16(C), pages 135-145.
    11. Derose, Laurie F, 2007. "Women's Work and Breastfeeding Simultaneously Rise in Ghana," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55(3), pages 583-612, April.
    12. Laurie F. DeRose, 2007. "Women’s Work and Breastfeeding Simultaneously Rise in Ghana," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55, pages 583-612.
    13. Phillips Edomwonyi Obasohan & Stephen J. Walters & Richard Jacques & Khaled Khatab, 2020. "Risk Factors Associated with Malnutrition among Children Under-Five Years in Sub-Saharan African Countries: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-23, November.
    14. Tasnim Khan & Rana Ejaz Ali Khan & Muhammad Ali Raza, 2015. "Gender Analysis of Malnutrition: A Case Study of School-Going Children in Bahawalpur," Asian Development Policy Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 3(2), pages 29-48, June.

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