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Abstract:
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This paper examines the association between child malnutrition and maternal education in Nepal for families with children under the age of five, as one outcome of child health. The nutritional status of children is measured through standardized Z-score values for height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height. The dataset utilized is the newly released 2006 Nepal Health and Demographic Surveys (NDHS), which included 5,783 observations children under five years old and their mother's information. The hypothesis tested is that higher educated mothers and nourished children are positively related. The analysis reveals that there is a strong and positive relationship between child's nutritional status and higher levels of maternal education, holding all other socioeconomic factors constant. As such, policy recommendations should focus on scaling up community-based programs such as female groups and family planning programs, as well as targeted programs such as conditional cash transfer programs (CCTs) and public-private partnerships. Additional policy recommendations focus on maintaining nutrition and education programs on the Nepalese development agenda through an increase in government commitment, overall health system reform, and more predictable funding levels from international donors. |