Asif Atta Muhammad, Akbar Muhammad
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Basic and Applied Science, International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Qual Quant. 2022 Aug 27:1-12. doi: 10.1007/s11135-022-01501-x.
Sufficient and nourishing foods during the early years of a child's life are essential for optimal growth and healthy life. The existing disparities among rural-urban populations also affect the dietary pattern as well. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors that contribute towards the rural-urban disparity in children's dietary diversity (CDD) and quantify their importance for the reduction of rural-urban disparities in achieving a minimum dietary diversity level. Using Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) data, version 2017-18, a non-linear decomposition analysis was performed. Eighty-one (81%) of the gap in CDD between rural-urban areas is attributed to the differences in the observed factors (endowments) and of these most of the difference is explained by three factors i.e. number of antenatal care visits (45%), maternal education (18%) and type of toilet facility (15%). There is a need to explore maternal education-related interventions to decrease the rural-urban gap regarding CDD as maternal education may affect CDD through different dimensions. Moreover, such programs should be initiated that may be helpful to enhance women's role in society, such as skilled education, well-paid job opportunities and better health facilities.
儿童成长早期充足且营养丰富的食物对于其最佳生长发育和健康生活至关重要。城乡人口之间现有的差异也影响着饮食模式。因此，本研究旨在确定导致儿童饮食多样性（CDD）城乡差异的因素，并量化这些因素对于缩小城乡在实现最低饮食多样性水平方面差距的重要性。利用2017 - 18年版的巴基斯坦人口与健康调查（PDHS）数据进行了非线性分解分析。城乡地区CDD差距的81%归因于观察到的因素（禀赋）差异，其中大部分差异由三个因素解释，即产前检查次数（45%）、母亲教育程度（18%）和卫生设施类型（15%）。有必要探索与母亲教育相关的干预措施，以缩小CDD方面的城乡差距，因为母亲教育可能通过不同维度影响CDD。此外，应启动有助于增强妇女社会角色的项目，如技能教育、高薪工作机会和更好的卫生设施。
