Figure 7.1 demonstrates one possible pathway through which maternal
schooling can affect the nutritional outcomes of children. Women with more
education tend to be knowledgeable about health care and, if exposed to new
information, can assimilate this improved knowledge into better care practices
than women with lesser education. This additional skill level (especially for
women) can make them aware of health services (such as health center facilities
and availability of doctors) and generate additional nutritional knowledge
(such as immunization of children against diseases, taking appropriate actions
on incidence of infant diarrhea, feeding the child during sickness and breastfeeding
during early childhood). The above good care practices can, in turn,
improve the nutritional status of children. Better health care practices are
especially relevant for less educated mothers, for mothers with more dependents
and for children from households with limited resources, poor housing
conditions and lack of access to hygiene and sanitation services. One cannot
assume, however, that mothers of malnourished children are necessarily ignorant
of child-care practices or that illiterate mothers, whether their children are
healthy or malnourished, do not practice enough good care (Christian et al.,
1988).
Conceptual