Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status

Abstract Background Formal education can be a nutrition-sensitive intervention that supports the scale-up and impact of nutrition-specific actions. Maternal education has long been linked to child survival, growth, and development while adult earnings and nutrition are tied to years in school as a c...

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Main Authors: Kassandra L. Harding, Victor M. Aguayo, William A. Masters, Patrick Webb
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2018-04-01
Series:BMC Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-018-5312-1
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spelling doaj-902472fc2aae477f878ea4ac392e1e162020-11-25T00:41:04ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582018-04-0118111310.1186/s12889-018-5312-1Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient statusKassandra L. Harding0Victor M. Aguayo1William A. Masters2Patrick Webb3Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts UniversityUNICEF Nutrition Programme, Programme DivisionFriedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts UniversityFriedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts UniversityAbstract Background Formal education can be a nutrition-sensitive intervention that supports the scale-up and impact of nutrition-specific actions. Maternal education has long been linked to child survival, growth, and development while adult earnings and nutrition are tied to years in school as a child. However, less is known about the relationship between maternal education and the micronutrient status of children, women and the general population. Methods Using country-level data and an ecological study design, we explored the global associations between women’s educational attainment and: a) anemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in children aged 6–59 months; b) anemia in non-pregnant women; and c) zinc deficiency, urinary iodine excretion (UIE), and the proportion of infants protected against iodine deficiency in the general population Cross-sectional relationships (2005–2013) were assessed using linear regression models. Results Percentage of women without schooling was negatively associated with all outcomes. Number of years of schooling among women was positively associated with all outcomes except for UIE and the proportion of infants protected against iodine deficiency. Income level was a significant effect modifier of the effect of years of women’s schooling on child anemia as well as of the proportion of women without formal education on zinc deficiency in the population. The relationship was strongest in low-income countries for child anemia, and was not significant in upper middle-income countries. For zinc deficiency, the relationship was not significant in low or lower middle income countries, which may suggest that a minimum threshold of resources needs to be reached before education can influence zinc status. Conclusions While relationships between maternal schooling and micronutrient outcomes vary around the globe, more schooling is generally linked to lower rates of deficiency. These findings draw policy-relevant connections between formal education and anemia and micronutrient status globally. It is necessary to examine the mechanisms through which this relationship may be working at both household and country level.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-018-5312-1NutritionWomen’s educationMaternal educationMicronutrientsMicronutrient deficienciesEconomic development
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Kassandra L. Harding
Victor M. Aguayo
William A. Masters
Patrick Webb
spellingShingle Kassandra L. Harding
Victor M. Aguayo
William A. Masters
Patrick Webb
Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
BMC Public Health
Nutrition
Women’s education
Maternal education
Micronutrients
Micronutrient deficiencies
Economic development
author_facet Kassandra L. Harding
Victor M. Aguayo
William A. Masters
Patrick Webb
author_sort Kassandra L. Harding
title Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
title_short Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
title_full Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
title_fullStr Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
title_full_unstemmed Education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
title_sort education and micronutrient deficiencies: an ecological study exploring interactions between women’s schooling and children’s micronutrient status
publisher BMC
series BMC Public Health
issn 1471-2458
publishDate 2018-04-01
description Abstract Background Formal education can be a nutrition-sensitive intervention that supports the scale-up and impact of nutrition-specific actions. Maternal education has long been linked to child survival, growth, and development while adult earnings and nutrition are tied to years in school as a child. However, less is known about the relationship between maternal education and the micronutrient status of children, women and the general population. Methods Using country-level data and an ecological study design, we explored the global associations between women’s educational attainment and: a) anemia and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in children aged 6–59 months; b) anemia in non-pregnant women; and c) zinc deficiency, urinary iodine excretion (UIE), and the proportion of infants protected against iodine deficiency in the general population Cross-sectional relationships (2005–2013) were assessed using linear regression models. Results Percentage of women without schooling was negatively associated with all outcomes. Number of years of schooling among women was positively associated with all outcomes except for UIE and the proportion of infants protected against iodine deficiency. Income level was a significant effect modifier of the effect of years of women’s schooling on child anemia as well as of the proportion of women without formal education on zinc deficiency in the population. The relationship was strongest in low-income countries for child anemia, and was not significant in upper middle-income countries. For zinc deficiency, the relationship was not significant in low or lower middle income countries, which may suggest that a minimum threshold of resources needs to be reached before education can influence zinc status. Conclusions While relationships between maternal schooling and micronutrient outcomes vary around the globe, more schooling is generally linked to lower rates of deficiency. These findings draw policy-relevant connections between formal education and anemia and micronutrient status globally. It is necessary to examine the mechanisms through which this relationship may be working at both household and country level.
topic Nutrition
Women’s education
Maternal education
Micronutrients
Micronutrient deficiencies
Economic development
url http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-018-5312-1
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