Does Mothers’ Education Influence Children’s Nutritional Status Evidence From Farming Households in Kwara State, Nigeria

Children’s health is of great importance within the household most especially to their mothers. The level of educational attainment among these mothers can result in their knowledge of, access to and ability to process specific information most especially as regard the health of their children. Using survey data from 127 farming households in 40 villages, this article examined the effect of mothers’ education on the nutritional status of children in the study area. The results of the study revealed that majority of the mothers representing 46.5% have undergone between 1 to 5 years of schooling. A total of 22% of the children are underweight, 23.6% are stunted and 14.2% of the children are wasted. The results showed that the significant determinants of children nutritional status in the study area include household size, mothers’ education, access to sanitary toilet and access to clean water. The findings therefore suggests that if malnutrition in children is to be reduced, the education of mothers should be promoted as well as the provision of basic amenities such as safe and portable water as well as good sanitation facilities.