Socioeconomic determinants of Child Malnutrition: Evidence from Ethiopia

AbstractIn this research I have studied the socioeconomic variations in the prevalence of stunting and underweight prevalence of child health in Ethiopia. With regard to the disparities in child malnutrition, the study sought to identify the key health factors that influence them using concentration index, concentration curve, and regression-based decomposition analysis. The relative and absolute gaps between various demographic and socioeconomic groups appear to have increased in Ethiopia, despite a notable decline in the mean of stunting and underweight prevalence. According to the empirical investigation, mothers’ educational level and household wealth benefited children with better socioeconomic positions, who were less likely to suffer from malnutrition. The difference in socioeconomic positions is the driving force towards the inequalities in child malnutrition. The empirical findings suggest that in order to reduce the disparities in child malnutrition, national health policy should promote mother literacy and target interventions for these underprivileged groups.