Working Paper: NBER ID: w30962
Authors: Martina Björkman Nyqvist; Seema Jayachandran; Céline P. Zipfel
Abstract: Building on prior evidence that mothers often have a stronger preference for spending on children than fathers do, we use a randomized experiment to evaluate the impacts of a communication training program for mothers on child health in Uganda. The hypothesis is that the training will enable women to better convey their knowledge and preferences to their husbands and, thereby, boost investments in children's health. We find that the program increases spousal discussion about the family's health, nutrition, and finances. However, this does not increase overall adoption of health-promoting behaviors or improve child anthropometrics. One exception is that the communication training increases women's and children’s intake of protein-rich foods as well as household spending on these foods.
Keywords: child health; communication training; Uganda; spousal decision-making
JEL Codes: D10; I12; O12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | Improved spousal dialogue (J12) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | Joint decision-making about household health and expenses (D10) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | Increased household spending on protein-rich foods (D12) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | Improved decision-making power (D91) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | No change in husbands' knowledge about child health needs (I19) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | No detectable effects on child anthropometrics (J13) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | No significant changes in overall health-promoting behaviors (I12) |
| Communication training for mothers (J13) | Decreased number of sick days for children (I19) |