The relationship between mother's socioeconomic status and child health

Child health as one of the main indicators of economic development has been included directly in the millennium development goals. Due to the increased rate of mother's employment and education along with children malnutrition, the effect of mothers’ socioeconomic status on children’s health was examined in this study. In case study, data on children at birth were gathered from health care records in 10 health centers of Tehran. The sample size of 400 was determined using the Cochran formula with an error margin of 5%. The cases were selected through random cluster sampling. The probit, probit with endogenous variable, and ordered probit models were employed. The mean mother's education was at the level of 3.76, representing higher than diploma and lower than associate degrees. The mean mother's age, whose children were normal, stunting, and severe stunting, was 32.25, 32.92, and 34.20, respectively. The mother's employment and education level increased the likelihood of stunting by 93 and 37 percent, respectively. Therefore, mother's employment had a negative effect on child health; i.e. mother's employment increases the possibility of stunting probably because of child malnutrition. In addition, rising education level among unemployed mothers increased the probability of children’s health. The parents’ education affected positively the health of children, and officeholder father, family size, and being twin had negative effects on children's health.