TY  - JOUR
T1  - Do Mothers` Educational Levels Matter in Child Malnutrition and Health Outcomes in Gambia and Niger?
AU - , A.S. Oyekale AU - , T.O. Oyekale 
JO  - The Social Sciences
VL  - 4
IS  - 1
SP  - 118
EP  - 127
PY  - 2009
DA  - 2001/08/19
SN  - 1818-5800
DO  - sscience.2009.118.127
UR  - https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=sscience.2009.118.127
KW  - Mothers educational levels
KW  -child malnutrition
KW  -health out comes
KW  -UNICEF
KW  -MDGs
AB  - Despite, past policy interventions and supports, malnutrition remains one of the major problems confronting children in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA). This study analyzed the effect of mothers? educational levels on child malnutrition. Data from the 2000 End-Decade Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey by the United Nations International Children Emergency Funds (UNICEF) for Gambia and Niger were used. Data were analyzed with Foster-Greer-Thorbeck approach and Probit regression. Results show stunting, wasting and underweight head counts are higher in Niger rural and urban areas, while stunting, wasting and underweight head count, depth and severity are higher among children whose mothers had no secondary education for all the countries. The Probit analysis reveals that attainment of secondary education by the mothers, urbanization, presence of pipe water, presence of mother and father at home, polio vaccination, ever breast fed and access to radio and television significantly reduce the probability of stunting, wasting and underweight, while infection with diarrhea, fever and age at first polio vaccine significantly increase it. It was recommended that to reduce malnutrition and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Gambia and Niger, institutional arrangements for catering for secondary education of girls and ensuring consistency in child health programs must be strengthened, among others.
ER  -