Intrahousehold and interhousehold child nutrition inequality in Malawi

Mussa, Richard (2011): Intrahousehold and interhousehold child nutrition inequality in Malawi.

Abstract

The allocation of resources within households may not be equal, and this may lead to different outcomes including health outcomes for household members. This paper investigates whether child nutrition inequalities are attributable to differences between households or differences within households in Malawi. Using a linear model with random effects, we derive a method to estimate the between and within contributions of both the explained and unexplained variances of child nutrition. Child nutrition is measured using height-for-age z-scores, and weight-for-height z-scores. The empirical analysis uses the 2006 multiple indicator cluster survey (MICS) data. We find evidence of within household nutritional bias along gender, age, and birth order lines in Malawi. The results for rural and urban areas, as well as ethnic and religious groups show that nutrition inequalities largely stem from differences within households. Intrahousehold nutrition inequalities are however less explained by observables, while interhousehold inequalities are more explained by observables.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Inequality; nutrition; Malawi
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D13 - Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I12 - Health Behavior

References

Alderman H, Hoddinott J, Kinsey J. 2006. Long term consequences of early childhood malnutrition. Oxford Economic Papers 58: 450-474.

Behrman J. 1988a. Intra-Household Allocation of Nutrients in Rural India: Are Boys Favored? Do Parents Exhibit Inequality Aversion? Oxford Economic Papers 40:32–54.

Behrman J. 1988b. Nutrition, health, birth order and seasonality: intra-household allocation among children in rural India. Journal of Development Economics 28: 43-62.

Case A, Paxson C. 2006. Children’s health and social mobility. Opportunity in America 16: 151-173.

Dancer D, Rammohan A, Smith M. D. 2008. Infant Mortality and Child Nutrition in Bangladesh. Health Economics 17: 1015-1035.

Haddad L, Kanbur R. 1990. How serious is the neglect of intra-household inequality? The Economic Journal 100: 866-881.

Hatkar P, Bhide A. 1999. Perinatal outcome of twins in relation to chorionicity. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine 45: 33-37.

Hatton TJ, Martin RM. 2009.The effects on stature of poverty, family size, and birth order: British children in the 1930s. Oxford Economic Papers 62: 157-184.

Horton S. 1988. Birth order and child nutritional status: evidence from the Philippines. Economic Development and Cultural Change 36:341–54.

Linnemayr S, Alderman H, Ka A. 2008. Determinants of malnutrition in Senegal: Individual, household, community variables, and their interaction. Economics and Human Biology 6:252-263.

O’Donnel O, Van Doorslaer E, Wagstaff A, Lindelow M. 2008. Analyzing health equity using household survey data: A guide to techniques and their implementation. The World Bank: Washington D.C.

Park A, Rukumnuaykit P. 2004. Eat Drink Man Woman: Testing for Gender Bias in China Using Individual Nutrient Intake Data. University of Michigan: Mimeo, Michigan.

Picard N, Wolff FC. 2010. Measuring educational inequalities: a method and an application to Albania. Journal of Population Economics 23: 989-1023.

Sahn DE, Stifel DC. 2002. Robust Comparisons of Malnutrition in Developing Countries. American Journal of Agriculture Economics 84:716-735.

Smith L, Ramakrishnan U, Ndiaye A, Haddad L, Matrorell R. 2003. The Importance of Women’s Status for Child Nutrition in Developing Countries. IFPRI Research Report 131.

Smith L, Ruel, MT, Ndiaye A. 2005. Why Is Child Malnutrition Lower in Urban Than in Rural Areas? Evidence from 36 Developing Countries. World Development 33:1285-1305.