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Maternal literacy and health behavior: a Nepalese case study

Author

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  • LeVine, Robert A.
  • LeVine, Sarah E.
  • Rowe, Meredith L.
  • Schnell-Anzola, Beatrice

Abstract

This article addresses the question of whether literacy could be mediating the relationships of schooling to maternal health behavior in populations undergoing demographic transition. Recent studies in which literacy was directly assessed suggest a literacy pathway to demographic change. The literacy skills of 167 urban and rural mothers of school-aged children in Lalitpur District of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal were assessed by tests of reading comprehension, academic language proficiency, health media skills and health narrative skill, as part of studies in the urban and rural communities that included a maternal interview and ethnographic fieldwork on the contexts of family life, health care and female schooling. Regression analysis of the data indicates the retention of literacy skills in adulthood and their influence on health behavior; ethnographic evidence shows that selective bias in school attainment does not account for the results. Further direct assessment studies are recommended.

Suggested Citation

  • LeVine, Robert A. & LeVine, Sarah E. & Rowe, Meredith L. & Schnell-Anzola, Beatrice, 2004. "Maternal literacy and health behavior: a Nepalese case study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 863-877, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:58:y:2004:i:4:p:863-877
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    Cited by:

    1. Musaddiq, Tareena & Said, Farah, 2023. "Educate the girls: Long run effects of secondary schooling for girls in Pakistan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    2. Bharadwaj, Prashant & Fenske, James & Kala, Namrata & Mirza, Rinchan Ali, 2020. "The Green revolution and infant mortality in India," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Hannum, Emily & Buchmann, Claudia, 2005. "Global Educational Expansion and Socio-Economic Development: An Assessment of Findings from the Social Sciences," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 333-354, March.
    4. Paul, Sohini & Paul, Sourabh & Gupta, Ashish Kumar & James, K.S., 2022. "Maternal education, health care system and child health: Evidence from India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    5. Guliani, Harminder & Sepehri, Ardeshir & Serieux, John, 2012. "What impact does contact with the prenatal care system have on women’s use of facility delivery? Evidence from low-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(12), pages 1882-1890.
    6. Emily Smith-Greenaway, 2013. "Maternal Reading Skills and Child Mortality in Nigeria: A Reassessment of Why Education Matters," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(5), pages 1551-1561, October.
    7. Smith-Greenaway, Emily, 2015. "Are literacy skills associated with young adults' health in Africa? Evidence from Malawi," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 124-133.
    8. Craig, Sienna R. & Adams, Lisa V. & Spielberg, Stephen P. & Campbell, Benjamin, 2009. "Pediatric therapeutics and medicine administration in resource-poor settings: A review of barriers and an agenda for interdisciplinary approaches to improving outcomes," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 1681-1690, December.
    9. David P. Baker & William C. Smith & Ismael G. Muñoz & Haram Jeon & Tian Fu & Juan Leon & Daniel Salinas & Renata Horvatek, 2017. "The Population Education Transition Curve: Education Gradients Across Population Exposure to New Health Risks," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(5), pages 1873-1895, October.
    10. José Antonio Rodríguez Martín & José María Martín Martín & Juan Dios Jiménez Aguilera, 2018. "A Synthetic Indicator of Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals 2, 3 and 4 in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) of Asia," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(1), pages 1-19, March.
    11. Paul Montgomery & Julie Hennegan & Catherine Dolan & Maryalice Wu & Laurel Steinfield & Linda Scott, 2016. "Menstruation and the Cycle of Poverty: A Cluster Quasi-Randomised Control Trial of Sanitary Pad and Puberty Education Provision in Uganda," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(12), pages 1-26, December.
    12. Smith-Greenaway, Emily, 2013. "Mothers' reading skills and child survival in Nigeria: Examining the relevance of mothers' decision-making power," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 152-160.
    13. Blunch, Niels-Hugo, 2013. "Staying Alive: Adult Literacy Programs and Child Mortality in Rural Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 114-126.

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