The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe
Education is perceived to have a positive impact on a variety of health outcomes. However, it is unclear how causal this association is or what could account for the observed relationship, especially in low-income countries. This study examined the educational gradient in dietary diversity among you...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90721 |
| _version_ | 1848765414527467520 |
|---|---|
| author | Makate, Marshall Nyamuranga, Chamunorwa |
| author2 | McKay, Andrew |
| author_facet | McKay, Andrew Makate, Marshall Nyamuranga, Chamunorwa |
| author_sort | Makate, Marshall |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Education is perceived to have a positive impact on a variety of health outcomes. However, it is unclear how causal this association is or what could account for the observed relationship, especially in low-income countries. This study examined the educational gradient in dietary diversity among young women using individual-level survey data from Zimbabwe. A parametric fuzzy regression discontinuity design was used in the empirical analysis, with school reform exposure serving as an instrumental variable for educational attainment. The results show that increased schooling improves dietary diversity among women and that this effect is large and statistically significant. An examination of the potential mechanisms by which education improves dietary diversity revealed that women with more education are more likely to engage with print media by reading newspapers or magazines, to be literate, to access prenatal care when pregnant, to be wealthier, to have fewer children, and to live in metropolitan areas. These findings suggest that expanding educational opportunities, particularly for young girls in developing countries like Zimbabwe, could be a useful policy strategy to promote healthy eating among young women and, as a result, could enhance population health and nutrition outcomes. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:34:52Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-90721 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:34:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | John Wiley & Sons, Ltd |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-907212023-07-27T06:19:50Z The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe Makate, Marshall Nyamuranga, Chamunorwa McKay, Andrew 1402 - Applied Economics 3801 - Applied economics Education is perceived to have a positive impact on a variety of health outcomes. However, it is unclear how causal this association is or what could account for the observed relationship, especially in low-income countries. This study examined the educational gradient in dietary diversity among young women using individual-level survey data from Zimbabwe. A parametric fuzzy regression discontinuity design was used in the empirical analysis, with school reform exposure serving as an instrumental variable for educational attainment. The results show that increased schooling improves dietary diversity among women and that this effect is large and statistically significant. An examination of the potential mechanisms by which education improves dietary diversity revealed that women with more education are more likely to engage with print media by reading newspapers or magazines, to be literate, to access prenatal care when pregnant, to be wealthier, to have fewer children, and to live in metropolitan areas. These findings suggest that expanding educational opportunities, particularly for young girls in developing countries like Zimbabwe, could be a useful policy strategy to promote healthy eating among young women and, as a result, could enhance population health and nutrition outcomes. 2023 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90721 10.1111/RODE.12980 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ John Wiley & Sons, Ltd fulltext |
| spellingShingle | 1402 - Applied Economics 3801 - Applied economics Makate, Marshall Nyamuranga, Chamunorwa The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe |
| title | The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe |
| title_full | The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe |
| title_short | The long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | long-term impact of education on dietary diversity among women in zimbabwe |
| topic | 1402 - Applied Economics 3801 - Applied economics |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/90721 |