Jef L. Leroy|Jean?Pierre Habicht|Teresa González de Cossío|Marie T. Ruel
Maternal Education Mitigates the Negative Effects of Higher Income on the Double Burden of Child Stunting and Maternal Overweight in Rural Mexico
International Food Policy Research Institute|Cornell University|Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública|International Food Policy Research Institute
globally rate maternal overweight obesity increase rising wealth higher accompanying decline prevalence child stunting resulting double burden malnutrition positive association household wealth child linear growth larger households educated mother however whether similar positive synergistic association maternal education household wealth observed maternal body weight unknown objective assess potential protective role maternal education etiology double burden malnutrition stunted child overweight mother used data 1547 nonpregnant mothers aged 1849 children aged 05 collected crosssectional survey 235 rural communities southern mexico child heightforage zscore maternal body weight regressed household wealth womens schooling interaction controlling relevant covariates similar model used prevalence doubleburden pairs stunted child overweight mother mothers less primary school doubling wealth associated improved childs height associated increase mothers weight 37 p 001 mothers completed primary school reverse found doubling wealth score associated improved child heightforage zscore 032 sd p 001 mothers weight result 100 increase wealth among households less schooled mothers associated 45 percentage point increase p 005 doubleburden pairs households mothers primary schooling associated occurrence doubleburden pairs maternal schooling effectively mitigated negative effects household wealth prevalence doubleburden households rural mexico maternal schooling low poverty reduction must accompanied effective behavior change communication prevent child stunting protect women unhealthy weight gain