Household Economic Well-being and Child Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors:
Janvier Mwisha-Kasiwa
Source:
Journal of African Development, 20(1):48–58
Topic(s):
Child health Wealth Index
Country:
Africa
Congo Democratic Republic
Published:
JUL 2018
Abstract:
This paper investigates the effects of economic wellbeing of households on child health in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) using data from the Demographic and Health Survey
for 2014. A series of econometric tools are used to estimate the effects. The control function
approach is shown to be the most appropriate estimation method. The results show that an
increase in household economic wellbeing reduces child malnutrition. It is also found that
younger children are more likely to be underweight, and that birth weight is a significant
determinant of nutritional status up to age five. The main policy implication of the paper is
that creation of jobs and other economic opportunities would enhance child health in DRC via
improvements in living conditions.
Keywords: Child health, Economic well-being, Household, Africa, DR Congo