Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria

We employ data from the Nigerian General Household Survey to explore the relationship between household labor market dynamics and child health status. We analyze our results using logistic regression methods and find that household self-employment is associated with reduced stunting in children, whi...

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Main Authors: Khadijat B. Amolegbe, Ridwan Mukaila, Enahoro I. Ojiri
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Development Studies Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21665095.2025.2506577
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author Khadijat B. Amolegbe
Ridwan Mukaila
Enahoro I. Ojiri
author_facet Khadijat B. Amolegbe
Ridwan Mukaila
Enahoro I. Ojiri
author_sort Khadijat B. Amolegbe
collection DOAJ
description We employ data from the Nigerian General Household Survey to explore the relationship between household labor market dynamics and child health status. We analyze our results using logistic regression methods and find that household self-employment is associated with reduced stunting in children, while household employment in non-agricultural wage sector is negatively associated with wasting and underweight. We also find that when mothers are the primary decision-makers in households, the nutritional outcomes for children tend to decrease if the household is engaged in self-employment or the agricultural sector. However, these outcomes improve if the household is involved in the non-agricultural wage sector. We note that increased labor time in off-farm employment is associated with reductions in child wasting, stunting, and underweight, whereas increased labor time in farm employment is linked to an increase in child overweight. Our results highlight the potential benefits of enhancing household labor force participation, particularly for women in wage and agricultural sectors, as a strategy to improve child health outcomes. It is important to note that while associations are observed, causality cannot be definitively established without further investigation.
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spelling doaj-art-ea840b5dba4e4acdb4c48a72f04112632025-08-20T02:25:30ZengTaylor & Francis GroupDevelopment Studies Research2166-50952025-12-0112110.1080/21665095.2025.2506577Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of NigeriaKhadijat B. Amolegbe0Ridwan Mukaila1Enahoro I. Ojiri2Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, NigeriaDepartment of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, The Ohio State University, Ohio, USADepartment of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, NigeriaWe employ data from the Nigerian General Household Survey to explore the relationship between household labor market dynamics and child health status. We analyze our results using logistic regression methods and find that household self-employment is associated with reduced stunting in children, while household employment in non-agricultural wage sector is negatively associated with wasting and underweight. We also find that when mothers are the primary decision-makers in households, the nutritional outcomes for children tend to decrease if the household is engaged in self-employment or the agricultural sector. However, these outcomes improve if the household is involved in the non-agricultural wage sector. We note that increased labor time in off-farm employment is associated with reductions in child wasting, stunting, and underweight, whereas increased labor time in farm employment is linked to an increase in child overweight. Our results highlight the potential benefits of enhancing household labor force participation, particularly for women in wage and agricultural sectors, as a strategy to improve child health outcomes. It is important to note that while associations are observed, causality cannot be definitively established without further investigation.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21665095.2025.2506577Child healthlabor marketsmothers’ decision-makingemployment typeNigeriasub-Sahara Africa
spellingShingle Khadijat B. Amolegbe
Ridwan Mukaila
Enahoro I. Ojiri
Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
Development Studies Research
Child health
labor markets
mothers’ decision-making
employment type
Nigeria
sub-Sahara Africa
title Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
title_full Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
title_fullStr Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
title_short Household labor market dynamics and child health status. The case of Nigeria
title_sort household labor market dynamics and child health status the case of nigeria
topic Child health
labor markets
mothers’ decision-making
employment type
Nigeria
sub-Sahara Africa
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21665095.2025.2506577
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