Family Complexity and Child Health in Botswana

The relationship between family structure and child well-being has been little studied in lower income settings. In Botswana new household types have emerged with increases in female headship, non-marital childbearing and parental cooperation with other household members. This study examines the association between household structure and child health in Botswana, measured by physical health. The study pays more attention to the heterogeneity of the household membership. This involves a larger kin network beyond biological parents. Second, the study explores if contextual factors are associated with child health. Three measures of child health assessed are stunting, diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection. Data used are from the 2000 Multiple Indicator Survey (MICS), and the 2007 Botswana Family Health Surveys (BFHS). Simple and logistic multilevel models are used to control for confounding variables associated with child health. The study demonstrates the importance of shared household resources, processes, and family functioning that goes beyond biological parent families on child health outcomes.