|
- 2018
Employment and Nutritional Status Among Women in Rural Nepal - Employment and Nutritional Status Among Women in Rural Nepal - Open Access PubAbstract: This study sought to assess the impact of part-time employment on the nutritional status of women in rural Nepal. We used longitudinal data from a prospective cohort of women in the Sarlahi District of southeastern Nepal to assess whether part-time employment was associated with a change in mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC) between baseline and five-years. The women enrolled in the study (n =715) had applied for part-time employment distributing weekly vitamin A supplements to married women of childbearing age. Over the five-years of follow-up, women received 900 Nepalese rupees ($15 USD) per month, for approximately five hours of work per week. The women who were hired (n =324) were younger and better educated than those who were not hired (n =391), but were otherwise similar. After baseline adjustments, change in MUAC (in cm) (β = 0.08; 95 % CI: -0.20, 0.36) was not associated with employment. Also, changes in MUAC over time were inversely related to baseline MUAC, with better nourished women gaining less (MUAC of 23 - 24.99: β = -0.83; 95% Confidence Interval CI: -1.18, -0.48; MUAC of ≥ 25: β = -0.99; 95% CI: -0.99, -0.54) compared to thin women (MUAC <21). In this sample, women employed part-time did not have improved nutritional status as compared to their unemployed counterparts. Future research should explore the impact of women’s employment on the nutritional status of other members of the household, particularly children, and among women employed full-time. DOI 10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-14-608 A common tenant in economic development is that participation among women in income generating activities often results in improved health and nutrition outcomes among themselves as well as their children, 1,2 ,3 ,4 ,5 as women and men may have different preferences for allocating food and nonfood resources. 6 ,7 Therefore, many interventions that aim to alleviate poverty and improve nutritional status in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) target women as their main beneficiaries. Prior research has explored the impact of cash transfer and microfinance programs on nutritional status1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11however, the association between women’s employment and nutritional status in LMIC is less well understood. Several studies that examine similar relationships report a positive relationship between steady income from employment and nutritional status3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 15Steady and formalized work among women may accord benefits such as improved dietary diversity and well-being among themselves as well as other household members. For example, in
|