| Maternal autonomy is inversely related to child stunting in Andhra Pradesh, India. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19161545 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Child stunting, an outcome of chronic undernutrition, contributes to poor quality of life, morbidity and mortality. In South Asia, the low status of women is thought to be one of the primary determinants of undernutrition across the lifespan. Low female status can result in compromised health outcomes for women, which in turn are related to lower infant birthweight and may affect the quality of infant care and nutrition. Maternal autonomy (defined as a woman's personal power in the household and her ability to influence and change her environment) is likely an important factor influencing child care and ultimately infant and child health outcomes. To examine the relationship between maternal autonomy and child stunting in Andhra Pradesh, India, we analysed data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-2. We used cross-sectional demographic, health and anthropometric information for mothers and their oldest child <36 months (n = 821) from NFHS-2. The main explanatory variables of autonomy are presented by four dimensions - decision making, permission to travel, attitude towards domestic violence and financial autonomy - constructed using seven binary variables. Logistic regression models were used to test associations between indicators of female autonomy and the risk of having a stunted child. Women with higher autonomy {indicated by access to money [odds ratio (OR) = 0.731; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.546, 0.981] and freedom to choose to go to the market [OR = 0.593; 95% CI 0.376, 0.933]} were significantly less likely to have a stunted child, after controlling for household socio-economic status and mother's education. In this south Indian state, two dimensions of female autonomy have an independent effect on child growth, suggesting the need for interventions that increase women's financial and physical autonomy. |
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Authors:
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Monal Shroff; Paula Griffiths; Linda Adair; Chirayath Suchindran; Margaret Bentley |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Maternal & child nutrition Volume: 5 ISSN: 1740-8709 ISO Abbreviation: Matern Child Nutr Publication Date: 2009 Jan |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2009-01-23 Completed Date: 2009-03-25 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 101201025 Medline TA: Matern Child Nutr Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 64-74 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-2524, USA. mshroff@gwm.sc.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adolescent Adult Anthropometry Body Height / physiology* Child Nutrition Disorders / epidemiology* Child Welfare Child, Preschool Cross-Sectional Studies Decision Making* Domestic Violence / psychology Educational Status Female Humans India / epidemiology Infant Infant, Newborn Male Middle Aged Mother-Child Relations Mothers / education, psychology* Personal Autonomy* Social Class Socioeconomic Factors Young Adult |
| Grant Support | |
ID/Acronym/Agency:
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R01 HD042219-03S1/HD/NICHD NIH HHS |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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