Maternal education and child health

Is there a strong causal relationship

Datos Bibliográficos

ID10970862
AutoresDesai (0000-0003-3562-8853, Center on Population, Gender and Social Inequality, University of Maryland at College Park, 3114 Art-Sociology Building, College Park, MD 20742-1315, autor de correspondencia), Sonalde Desai, Soumya Alva (0000-0001-9404-1898, Center on Population, Gender and Social Inequality, University of Maryland at College Park, 3114 Art-Sociology Building, College Park, MD 20742-1315)
Año1998
Volumen35
Número1
Páginas71-81
Fecha de publicación1998-02-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaDemography (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0070-3370 • E-ISSN: 1533-7790
EditorialDuke University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/3004028
PMID9512911
OpenAlexW2062860062
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas242
Referencias citadas11

Using data from the first round of Demographic and Health Surveys for 22 developing countries, we examine the effect of maternal education on three markers of child health: infant mortality, children s height-for-age, and immunization status. In contrast to other studies, we argue that although there is a strong correlation between maternal education and markers of child health, a causal relationship is far from established. Education acts as a proxy for the socioeconomic status of the family and geographic area of residence. Introducing controls for husband’s education and access to piped water and toilet attenuate the impact of maternal education on infant mortality and children’s height-for-age. This effect is further reduced by controlling for area of residence through the use of fixed-effects models. In the final model. maternal education has a statistically significant impact on infant mortality and height-forage in only a handful of countries. In contrast. maternal education remains statistically significant for chidren’s immunization status in about one-half of the countries even after individual-level and community-level controls are introduced

Developing country · Economic growth · Environmental health · Infant mortality · Population · Proxy (statistics · Residence · Socioeconomic status · Demography · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare