Impact of female education on nutritional status of women and children in Ethiopia

Abstract

This study used Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of 2005 to analyze the determinants of malnutrition among children and women in the country. The study specifically focused on impact of female education within a household as a determinant of nutritional status. Women in reproductive age (between the ages of 15-49) and children under the age of 5 were used for the analysis. The study used HAZ - score as a measure for nutritional status for children and BMI for women. Both descriptive and econometric techniques were employed to achieve the study objectives. Descriptive statistics indicates that 44.12(%) percent of children in the sample are moderatelv and severely stunted while for women, 28% were found to be underweight. The OLS regression results suggested that household characteristics like education level of members. economic status. household size and marital status of the mother are significantly associated with child nutrition. Education of female household members', especially 'the mother was strongly related to better nourishment among children. In the case of analysis on women's nutrition. economic status, educational level and marital status were found to be significantly associated with women's BM!. Provision of sanitary facilities was found to be a highly significant factor in both analyses. In addition to that. it suggests that better sanitary conditions like access to clean water and modem toilet facilities. played a great role in minimizing malnutrition among women and children. The study recommends that educating household members (beyond primary level), especially that of female members, is critical in tackling malnutrition in the country .