IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/demogr/v50y2013i5p1551-1561.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Maternal Reading Skills and Child Mortality in Nigeria: A Reassessment of Why Education Matters

Author

Listed:
  • Emily Smith-Greenaway

Abstract

Mother’s formal schooling—even at the primary level—is associated with lower risk of child mortality, although the reasons why remain unclear. This study examines whether mother’s reading skills help to explain the association in Nigeria. Using data from the Demographic and Health Survey, the analysis demonstrates that women’s reading skills increase linearly with years of primary school; however, many women with several years of formal school are unable to read at all. The results further show that mother’s reading skills help to explain the relationship between mother’s formal schooling and child mortality, and that mother’s reading skills are highly associated with child mortality. The study highlights the need for more data on literacy and for more research on whether and how mother’s reading skills lower child mortality in other contexts. Copyright Population Association of America 2013

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:50:y:2013:i:5:p:1551-1561
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-013-0209-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s13524-013-0209-1
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s13524-013-0209-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David P. Baker & Juan Leon & Emily G. Smith Greenaway & John Collins & Marcela Movit, 2011. "The Education Effect on Population Health: A Reassessment," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 307-332, June.
    2. Patrick Royston, 2004. "Multiple imputation of missing values," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 4(3), pages 227-241, September.
    3. Olatunde A. Adekola, 2007. "Language, Literacy, and Learning in Primary Schools : Implications for Teacher Development Programs in Nigeria," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6737.
    4. Paul Glewwe, 1999. "Why Does Mother's Schooling Raise Child Health in Developing Countries? Evidence from Morocco," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 34(1), pages 124-159.
    5. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Prabal K. De & Muhammed Tümay, 2024. "Education and reproductive health: evidence from schooling expansion in Turkey," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 301-331, June.
    3. Dai Binh Tran, 2022. "Health Benefits of Education: Comparative Evidence from Vietnam and Thailand," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    4. Burroway, Rebekah & Hargrove, Andrew, 2018. "Education is the antidote: Individual- and community-level effects of maternal education on child immunizations in Nigeria," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 213(C), pages 63-71.
    5. Pierce, Hayley & Foster, Kathryn, 2020. "Health and well-being outcomes of women and children in Sub-Saharan Africa: Examining the role of formal schooling, literacy, and health knowledge," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Joseph I. Uduji & Elda N. Okolo-Obasi & Simplice A. Asongu, 2020. "The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Interventions on Female Education Development in the Rural Niger Delta Region of Nigeria," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 20(1), pages 45-64, January.
    7. Joseph I. Uduji & Elda N. Okolo-Obasi & Simplice A. Asongu, 2019. "The Impact of CSR Interventions on Female Education Development in the Rural Niger Delta Region of Nigeria," Research Africa Network Working Papers 19/070, Research Africa Network (RAN).
    8. Emily Smith-Greenaway, 2020. "Does Parents’ Union Instability Disrupt Intergenerational Advantage? An Analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 445-473, April.
    9. Treleaven, Emily, 2023. "The relationship between extended kin resources and children's healthcare utilization: An analysis of family networks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 321(C).
    10. Weitzman, Abigail, 2017. "The effects of women's education on maternal health: Evidence from Peru," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1-9.
    11. Marshall Makate, 2016. "Education Policy and Under-Five Survival in Uganda: Evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-17, October.
    12. 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.
    13. Monica J. Grant, 2015. "The Demographic Promise of Expanded Female Education: Trends in the Age at First Birth in Malawi," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 41(3), pages 409-438, September.
    14. Frola, Alessia & Delprato, Marcos & Chudgar, Amita, 2024. "Lack of educational access, women's empowerment and spatial education inequality for the Eastern and Western Africa regions," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    15. Sana Khan & Gianna Claudia Giannelli & Lucia Ferrone, 2024. "Can Maternal Education Enhance Children's Dietary Diversity and Nutritional Outcomes? Evidence from 2003 Education Reform in Kenya," Working Papers - Economics wp2024_12.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    16. Adaiah Lilenstein, 2020. "Better measures of progress: Developing reliable estimates of educational access and quality in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 13/2020, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    17. Barman, Bikash & Saha, Jay & Chouhan, Pradip, 2020. "Impact of education on the utilization of maternal health care services: An investigation from National Family Health Survey (2015–16) in India," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    18. Soler-Hampejsek, Erica & Mensch, Barbara S. & Psaki, Stephanie R. & Grant, Monica J. & Kelly, Christine A. & Hewett, Paul C., 2018. "Reading and numeracy skills after school leaving in southern Malawi: A longitudinal analysis," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 86-99.
    19. 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.
    20. Makate, Marshall & Makate, Clifton, 2016. "The causal effect of increased primary schooling on child mortality in Malawi: Universal primary education as a natural experiment," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 72-83.
    21. Stephanie R. Psaki & Erica Soler-Hampejsek & Jyotirmoy Saha & Barbara S. Mensch & Sajeda Amin, 2019. "The Effects of Adolescent Childbearing on Literacy and Numeracy in Bangladesh, Malawi, and Zambia," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(5), pages 1899-1929, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. 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.
    2. Musaddiq, Tareena & Said, Farah, 2023. "Educate the girls: Long run effects of secondary schooling for girls in Pakistan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    3. 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.
    4. Byaro, Mwoya & Mpeta, Daniel, 2021. "Secondary Education and its Effects on Child Health: Empirical Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 9(2), April.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Ning Wei & Lülin Zhou & Wenhao Huang, 2022. "Does an upward intergenerational educational spillover effect exist? The effect of children’s education on Chinese parents’ health," International Journal of Health Economics and Management, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 69-89, March.
    8. Blunch, Niels-Hugo, 2013. "Staying Alive: Adult Literacy Programs and Child Mortality in Rural Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 114-126.
    9. 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).
    10. Okada, Keisuke, 2012. "The effects of female HIV/AIDS status on fertility and child health in Cambodia," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(5), pages 560-570.
    11. Harald Schoen, 2008. "Identity, Instrumental Self-Interest and Institutional Evaluations," European Union Politics, , vol. 9(1), pages 5-29, March.
    12. Julia S. Goldberg, 2011. "Identity Salience and Involvement among Resident and Nonresident Fathers," Working Papers 1323, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    13. Hilde Coffe & Catherine Bolzendahl, 2011. "Gender Gaps in Political Participation Across Sub-Saharan African Nations," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 245-264, June.
    14. Ronald Mincy & Jennifer Hill & Marilyn Sinkewicz, 2009. "Marriage: Cause or mere indicator of future earnings growth?," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 417-439.
    15. John Bound & Michael F. Lovenheim & Sarah Turner, 2010. "Why Have College Completion Rates Declined? An Analysis of Changing Student Preparation and Collegiate Resources," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 129-157, July.
    16. von Hinke Kessler Scholder S, 2009. "Genetic Markers as Instrumental Variables: An Application to Child Fat Mass and Academic Achievement," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 09/25, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    17. Ahsan, Md Nazmul & Maharaj, Riddhi, 2018. "Parental human capital and child health at birth in India," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 130-149.
    18. 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.
    19. Natalia Krüger & Axel McCallum & Víctor Volman, 2020. "Segregación escolar por nivel socioeconómico: disparidades entre las provincias argentinas," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4362, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    20. Pritha Dev & Blessing U. Mberu & Roland Pongou, 2016. "Ethnic Inequality: Theory and Evidence from Formal Education in Nigeria," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(4), pages 603-660.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:50:y:2013:i:5:p:1551-1561. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.