Lilia Bliznashka|Ifeyinwa E. Udo|Christopher R. Sudfeld|Wafaie Fawzi|Aisha Yousafzai
Associations between women’s empowerment and child development, growth, and nurturing care practices in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional analysis of demographic and health survey data
Harvard Global Health Institute|Yale University|Harvard Global Health Institute|Harvard University|Harvard University|Harvard Global Health Institute|Harvard Global Health Institute
background approximately 40 children 3 4 years age low middleincome countries suboptimal development growth womens empowerment may help provide inputs nurturing care early development growth building caregiver capacity family support examined associations womens empowerment child development growth early learning nutrition subsaharan africa ssa methods findings pooled data married women 15 49 years children 36 59 months demographic health surveys collected data child development 2011 2018 9 ssa countries n 21434 benin burundi cameroon chad congo rwanda senegal togo uganda constructed womens empowerment score using factor analysis assigned women countryspecific quintile categories child outcomes included cognitive socioemotional literacynumeracy physical development early childhood development index linear growth heightforage zscore haz stunting haz lt2 early learning outcomes number parental stimulation activities range 0 6 learning resources range 0 4 nutrition outcome child dietary diversity score dds range 0 7 assessed relationship womens empowerment child development growth early learning nutrition using multivariate generalized linear models average households sample large 85 57 members primarily living rural areas 71 women 31 66 years average 54 education 31 completed primary education children 47 7 months old 49 female 23 children suboptimal cognitive development 31 suboptimal socioemotional development 90 suboptimal literacynumeracy development 9 children suboptimal physical development 35 stunted approximately 14 mothers 3 fathers provided 4 stimulation activities relative lowest quintile category children women highest empowerment quintile category less likely suboptimal cognitive development relative risk rr 089 95 confidence interval ci 080 099 higher haz mean difference md 009 95 ci 002 016 lower risk stunting rr 093 95 ci 087 100 higher dds md 017 95 ci 006 029 007 95 ci 001 013 additional learning resources received 016 95 ci 006 025 additional stimulation activities mothers 023 95 ci 017 029 additional activities fathers found evidence womens empowerment associated socioemotional literacynumeracy physical development study limitations include possibility reverse causality suboptimal assessments outcomes exposure conclusions womens empowerment positively associated early child cognitive development child growth early learning nutrition outcomes ssa efforts improve child development growth consider womens empowerment potential strategy