Mother’s Education and Child Malnutrition in Developing Countries: the Mediating Role of Feeding Choices

A positive relationship exists between mother’s education and children’s health. However, the effect of mother’s education on children’s health may also be mediated by feeding practices. Using a sample of mothers with 0–6 months children in 39 developing countries, we investigate the association between mother’s education and child malnutrition as mediated by feeding practices. Results show that mother’s education is mediated by the infant feeding practices; the strength and the sign of the effect and of the mediation varies depending on the level of economic development and gender equality of the country.