**4.3 Mother's education**

Maternal education, which is related to household wealth, is a determinant of good childcare knowledge and practices. The education attainment of mothers is mostly significant in the analysis of LVM.

The results with two indicators are quite similar to the results with three indicators with regard to this variable. This result supports the suggestion that an educated mother assumes the responsibility of taking a sick child to receive health care. Further, the time that mothers spend discussing their child's illness with a doctor is almost directly proportional to their level of education: consequently, illiterate women (with sick children) get much less out of visiting a doctor than literate women do. These findings are consistent with many studies in the context of developing countries (Africa Nutrition chartbooks 1996, Borooah 2002), which reported that maternal education has a strong and significant effect on stunting. They found that at primary levels of education,, effects on stunting are small or negligible, and they increase only at secondary or higher levels.(Chartbooks 1996; Borooah 2002).

#### **4.4 Working mothers**

Work has a non significant effect on the malnutrition status of children in Nigeria. The results are consistent with some previous studies and not consistent with others. Some studies reported that when mothers are working, the household income is increased and the access to better food will be increased, as well as the access to a quality level of medical care. On the other hand, when mothers are employed outside the home, the duration of full breastfeeding is shortened and necessitates supplementary feeding. This is usually preformed by illiterate care-takers, which might affect the health of children negatively.
