Child Malnutrition in Ethiopia: Can Maternal Knowledge Augment The Role of Income?

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This paper explores the complementary role of nutritional knowledge in reducing child malnutrition. It is part of the World Bank's Africa Region Working Paper Series of approximately 70 publications. A revised version of the paper has been published in the "Economic Development and Cultural Change", 2004, vol 52-2, pp.287-312.

The study focuses on Ethiopia, a country which registers one of the highest malnutrition rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nonetheless, the understanding of its causes remains limited. The paper proceeds with a brief summary of the nutritional status of pre-school children in Ethiopia. It outlines the empirical approach and presents a descriptive overview of the data. This is followed by a discussion of the results and some policy simulations.

Topics include:

 

§                        Child malnutrition and its socio-economic determinants;

 

§                        The role of education, income, and prices;

 

§                        Maternal nutritional knowledge;

 

§                        Child malnutrition in Ethiopia;

 

§                        Empirical approach; and

 

§                        Policy simulations.

 

The paper concludes that if combined, income growth, increased female education and improved nutritional knowledge would diminish the prevalence of child stunting by 14 to 31 percent. It further emphasises that while it will take time before the effects of income growth and especially increased female education will affect child malnutrition, imparting nutritional knowledge would likely provide a timely, effective and complementary intervention to reduce pre-school child malnutrition.

Click here to download this paper in PDF format.

For additional information visit the Africa Region Working Paper Series on the World Bank website where the series is available in PDF format.

 

Source: Communication Initiative

Owner: L. Christiaensen and H. Aldermanpdf: http://www.worldbank.org/afr/wps/wp22/wp22-1.pdf

Organisation: 
World Bank Group
Attachment Link: 
http://www.worldbank.org/afr/wps/wp22/wp22-1.pdf

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