Mother's education and nutritional status as correlates of child stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight in Nigeria: Evidence from 2018 Demographic and Health Survey

• Published in: Nutrition and health (Berkhamsted) 2024-12, Vol.30 (4), p.821-830
• Main Authors: Lawal, Saheed Akinmayowa, Okunlola, David Aduragbemi, Adegboye, Oyelola A., Adedeji, Isaac A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Child, Preschool; Educational Status; Female; Growth Disorders - epidemiology; Health Surveys; Humans; Infant; Male; Mothers - statistics & numerical data; Nigeria - epidemiology; Nutritional Status; Overweight - epidemiology; Prevalence; Thinness - epidemiology; Wasting Syndrome - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0260-1060; 2047-945X
• DOI: 10.1177/02601060221146320

Aim: This study examined the nexus between mother's education and nutritional status and their relationships with child stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight. Methods: The data of 34,193 under-five (U-5) children from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and binary and complementary log-logistic regression models. Results: The prevalence of child stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight were 36.51%, 6.92%, 21.73%, and 2.05%, respectively. Compared to children born to mothers with at least secondary education, uneducated women's children (odds ratio (OR) = 1.55; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.32–1.82) and those of women with primary education (OR = 1.49; 95% CI = 1.28–1.72) were more likely to be stunted. Similarly, children born to uneducated women (OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.24–1.83) were more likely to be underweight than women with at least secondary education. The likelihood of child underweight (OR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.45–2.01) and wasting (rate ratio (RR) = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.47–2.26) were higher among underweight mothers, respectively, than those with normal body mass index (BMI). The likelihood of child stunting (OR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.67–0.84) and underweight (OR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.57–0.77) were lower among obese/overweight mothers compared to those with normal BMI, but their children were more likely to be overweight (RR = 1.77; 95% CI = 1.27–2.48). Conclusion: Attainment of higher education by mothers should be promoted to prevent childhood nutritional imbalances, and sensitization on healthy dietary habits and lifestyles should be promoted among women, especially the overweight/obese, to reduce their risk of having overweight children.