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The family, institutional context and child anthropometry

This study explores the impact of family and institutional context on child anthropometry in developing countries, focusing on factors such as stunting, wasting, and under-nutrition. It examines the linkages between caretakers' behavior, institutional factors, public services provisioning, food intake, and diseases. The study also analyzes household dynamics, including residential arrangements, marital stability, social norms, and gender roles, and their effects on child anthropometry. Additionally, the role of gender, institutional factors, and women's status in affecting child nutrition and health is examined.

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The family, institutional context and child anthropometry

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  1. The family, institutional context and child anthropometry Children in Developing Countries Renata Serra – April 3rd 2007

  2. Child anthropometry / malnutrition • Stunting: low height-for-age • Chronic, long-term under-nutrition + poor health • Wasting: low weight-for-height • Acute, short-term under-nutrition + poor health • Under-nutrition is more about nutrient composition than food quantity per se • Deficiency of Vitamin A, iron, protein, etc. • Worldwide, about 25% of children under-5 are under-nourished • About half are in South Asia (highest absolute prevalence) • Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest relative prevalence

  3. The linkages Caretakers’ behavior Institutional context Child anthropometry Public services provisioning Food intake + diseases National and international policies Employment, Economic sectors, etc.

  4. Looking inside households & families • Household ≠ family: both are crucial • Caretakers-child relationships mediated by: • Residential arrangements • Nuclear versus extended household • Stable vs. unstable marital arrangements • Social and cultural norms • Who gets what inside the HH? E.g. gender • Connections between different residential units • Help and cost-sharing (child fostering)

  5. The household • Cooperation and conflict coexist • Income-pooling is not a universal feature • Limited joint decision-making (See figures 2.1- 2.3 in UNICEF 2007) • Responsibility for children is mediated by both individual circumstances and social norms. • Give examples! • The female-headed household (FHH) • FHHs are 20% of HHs worldwide • Not always the poorest: help from outside, better internal resource allocation, prioritization for child-expenses

  6. Household and family structure • Article by Desai (1992) • In what ways do family and HH structures differ between WA and LA? • Marital instability in LA countries • Shared responsibilities for child-rearing in SSA • What is the effect of these differences in terms of child anthropometry? • What are the policy implications?

  7. The role of gender • Institutional factors / social norms • Age gap at marriage and women’s status in the family • Women’s mobility (geographical and socio-economic) • Women’s role in the wider society, legal provisions, etc. • Women’s individual characteristics are also important in affecting child nutrition and health • Own income source and income control • Education level • Autonomy in decision-making • Type of work (flexibility, compatibility with child-care)

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