Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
We employ data from the Nigerian General Household Survey to explore the relationship between household labor market dynamics and child health status. We analyze our results using logistic regression methods and find that household self-employment is associated with reduced stunting in children, whi...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Development Studies Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21665095.2025.2506577 |
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| Summary: | We employ data from the Nigerian General Household Survey to explore the relationship between household labor market dynamics and child health status. We analyze our results using logistic regression methods and find that household self-employment is associated with reduced stunting in children, while household employment in non-agricultural wage sector is negatively associated with wasting and underweight. We also find that when mothers are the primary decision-makers in households, the nutritional outcomes for children tend to decrease if the household is engaged in self-employment or the agricultural sector. However, these outcomes improve if the household is involved in the non-agricultural wage sector. We note that increased labor time in off-farm employment is associated with reductions in child wasting, stunting, and underweight, whereas increased labor time in farm employment is linked to an increase in child overweight. Our results highlight the potential benefits of enhancing household labor force participation, particularly for women in wage and agricultural sectors, as a strategy to improve child health outcomes. It is important to note that while associations are observed, causality cannot be definitively established without further investigation. |
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| ISSN: | 2166-5095 |