The Effect of Mothers’ Education and Employment on Children’s Health

Abstract

Background: Children’s health in the first years of life plays a significant role in their physical, mental, and social performance in the future. One factor that can affect children’s health is increasing mother’s education and participation in the job market. Due to an increase in mothers’ employment as well as children’s malnutrition, the effects of mothers’ education and employment on children’s health were analyzed in this paper Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of mothers’ employment and education on children’s health at birth. Methods: Research data were gathered from health care records (HCRs) of children at 10 health centers of Tehran in 2013. These children were randomly selected by the multi-stage sampling method. According to the Cochran formula, sample size at error level of 5% was 382, yet 400 questionnaires were completed. In order to estimate the regression model, Probit and Ordered Probit methods were used by applying the endogenous explanatory variable in the Stata software. Results: The Probit model results indicated that mothers’ employment increases the possibility of children’s low birth weight due to malnutrition by 65% and father’s education increases the possibility of children being healthy by 35%. However, “family size” and “being twins” decrease the possibility of children being healthy by 35 and 97%, respectively. The Ordered Probit model results showed that mothers’ employment decreases the possibility of children having normal weight for age Z score (WAZ) by 23% and increases the possibility of children having a low birth weight and extremely low birth weight by 13 and 10%, respectively. However, increasing mothers’ education will decrease the possibility of children's low birth weight. Conclusions: In both models, mothers’ employment had a negative effect on children’s health at birth; i.e. mothers’ employment increased the possibility of low birth weight due to malnutrition in children. However, mother’s education had a positive effect on children’s health at birth; i.e. an increase mothers’ education will decrease the possibility of children’s low birth weight. “Family size” and “being twins” have negative effects on the children’s health at birth.