The Effect of Maternal Education on Under-five Mortality in Ethiopia

This paper aimed at contributing for the understanding of factors determining child health by investigating the effect of maternal education on occurrence of under-five mortality. The objectives of the study were to determine the effect of formal mater-nal schooling on under-five mortality and identifying channels through which maternal education may affect under-five mortality for the period between 2000 and 2011. The data was obtained from the 2000, 2005, and 2011 EDHS. The total number of observations used in the LPM regressions are 9765, 9532, 10975, and 25829 for the years 2000, 2005, 2011, and the pooled regressions respectively. Set of factors related to socio-economic status, use of health care services, reproductive behaviours of women, mothers’ empowerment, and ma-ternal employment status were included in the regressions made to find the partial effect of maternal schooling on incidence of under-five mortality. On the other hand, these variables were tested for their mediation of the effect of maternal education on under-five mortality. Mean of incidence of under-five mortality has decreased from 2000 to 2011. It also decreases with increasing levels of maternal education. Similarly, significantly higher mean of years of schooling was obtained for mothers whose children are alive. In addition, children alive are better off in other fami-ly and maternal characteristics including family wealth index, pre-birth interval, type of floor materials, sanitation services, drinking water, visiting health facili-ties, modern contraceptive use, antenatal visit, and delivery in health facilities. In all 2000, 2005 and 2011, formal maternal education had significant total effect on under-five mortality. In 2000 and 2005, part of its effect was mediat-ed by other factors. In 2000, almost 50% of the total effect of maternal educa-tion was mediated through socio-economic factors. In 2005, both socio-economic factors and attitude towards health care service utilisation were the channels through which maternal education affect under-five mortality. For 2011, no pathway mediated its effect. This could be mainly due to the universal access to health facilities and health knowledge created for the people of Ethi-opia after the introduction of Health Extension Program (HEP) from 2003. But, there is significant direct effect of years of maternal schooling in 2011, which may have happened due to the difference in the impact of HEP with difference in maternal education. Though, the total effect from maternal edu-cation has decreased, more educated mothers are better off in absorbing the benefits of health infrastructure and health knowledge that are universally available. The results imply that big part of the effect of maternal education can be substituted by investing in other factors that can improve socio-economic sta-tus, use of health services, and health behaviours of women. It is seen by the change in the effect of formal maternal schooling after the introduction HEP. But, investment in girls’ schooling is still one of the important ways to contrib-ute for child health improvement in the long run.