Household Structure and Child Nutritional Status in Ethiopia: Socio-cultural Aspects of Malnutrition

The study assesses the effects of household structure on children’s nutritional status in Ethiopia using data obtained from 8847 children sampled in the 2004 National Welfare Monitoring Survey. Hypotheses dealing with the linkage between child well-being and household structure are tested. The results revealed that children in single parent nuclear households are much more vulnerable to poor nutritional status than those in two-parent nuclear and extended households. The persistent disadvantageous position of poor and single parent households that do not have access to high child caring capacity and welfare support unveils that lack of resources (i.e. financial, material, and labor) within the household affects
child well-being in traditional societies like Ethiopia. High level of maternal education is associated with a better nutritional status of children while large number of siblings increases the likelihood of being stunted. Thus, household structure affects the nutritional status of children through the mediating effects of economic and socio-cultural factors.