A mother’s voice: Impacts of spousal communication training on child health investments

Martina Björkman Nyqvist, Seema Jayachandran and Céline Zipfel

Journal of Development Economics, 2024, vol. 168, issue C

Abstract: This study evaluates a communication training program for mothers in Uganda, motivated by prior evidence suggesting that mothers often prioritize children’s needs more than fathers. The program aims to enable women to effectively communicate their knowledge and preferences about child health to their husbands, thereby increasing investments in children’s health. Using a randomized experiment, we find that the program increases spousal discussion about the family’s health, nutrition, and finances. It also increases women’s and children’s intake of animal-sourced foods, as well as household spending on these foods. We find that birthweight of newborns increases. However, the program did not increase households’ adoption of measured health-promoting behaviors or improve other child anthropometric measures.

Keywords: Child health; Spousal communication; Decision-making (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Working Paper: A mother's voice: Impacts of spousal communication training on child health investments (2023)
Working Paper: A Mother’s Voice: Impacts of Spousal Communication Training on Child Health Investments (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:deveco:v:168:y:2024:i:c:s0304387824000129

DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2024.103263

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