Association Between Parental Education and Simultaneous Malnutrition Among Parents and Children in 45 Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Key Points

Question

What is the association between parental education and the simultaneous manifestation of malnutrition of both parent and child—referred to as the double burden of malnutrition (DBM)—within households in low- and middle-income countries?

Findings

This cross-sectional study of 423 340 mother-child pairs and 56 720 father-child pairs from low- and middle-income countries found that parental education was associated with the risk of DBM, but the associations differed by DBM subtypes. More advanced parental education was associated with a higher risk of DBM subtypes involving overnutrition (eg, maternal overnutrition and child undernutrition) and a lower risk of undernutrition for both the parent and child.

Meaning

These findings highlight the association between parental education and household nutritional status, suggesting that policymakers should differentiate subgroups when formulating future policies.

Abstract

This cross-sectional study uses international survey data to examine the association between parental education and the simultaneous manifestation of malnutrition of both parent and child in households in low- and middle-income countries.

Abstract

Importance

Parental education is known to be associated with the health status of parents and their offspring. However, the association between parental education and the simultaneous manifestation of multiple forms of malnutrition within households remains underinvestigated globally.

Objective

To assess the association between parental education and the simultaneous manifestation of malnutrition of both parent and child (either overnutrition or undernutrition)—referred to as the double burden of malnutrition (DBM)—at the household level in mother-child and father-child pairs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study used data from the US Agency for International Development Demographic and Health Surveys (January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2021) to identify mother-child pairs and father-child pairs from LMICs. The eligibility criteria were as follows: (1) children aged 0 to 59 months; (2) nonpregnant mothers at the time of the survey in the sample of mother-child pairs; and (3) valid measures of the weight, height, and hemoglobin level for the child and at least 1 of their parents.

Exposures

Highest level of parental education obtained and number of years of education completed.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Four sets of multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to assess the association between parental education and DBM, and analysis was performed between March 10 and May 15, 2022.

Results

This study included 423 340 mother-child pairs from 45 LMICs and 56 720 father-child pairs from 16 LMICs. The mean (SD) age of the mother-child pairs was 28.2 (6.1) and 1.9 (1.4) years, respectively; 48.8% of the children were female. We observed that 49.0% of mother-child pairs experienced DBM. Compared with mother-child pairs with no maternal education, higher maternal education was associated with a lower risk of DBM. For example, the odds ratio (OR) for tertiary maternal education was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.67-0.74). However, the association differed by DBM subtypes: higher maternal education was associated with a lower risk of both mothers and children being undernourished but with a higher risk of almost all DBM subtypes involving overnutrition. For example, compared with mother-child pairs with no maternal education, those with secondary education were less likely to develop simultaneous maternal and child undernutrition (OR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.80-0.86]) but were more likely to experience simultaneous maternal and child overnutrition (OR, 2.20 [95% CI, 1.61-3.00]); similar results were observed for pairs with primary and tertiary education. The results in mother-child pairs remained consistent after controlling for paternal education. Among the father-child pairs, 26.5% had DBM, with fathers with tertiary education significantly more likely to experience simultaneous paternal overnutrition and child undernutrition (OR, 1.55 [95% CI, 1.23-1.95]) compared with pairs with no paternal education; they were also less likely to have both paternal and child undernutrition (OR, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.59-0.84]).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, maternal education and paternal education were independently associated with DBM, and the associations differed by DBM subtypes. These findings suggest that the different risks of malnutrition faced by households with various levels of education should thus be considered in policy evaluation.