An Extension of Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition on Investigating the Correlation of Maternal Education and Childhood Malaria Infection in Nigeria

Abstract

Malaria infection is a major public health problem in Nigeria, more especially among pregnant women and children. Despite the assertion that mother's education is likely to influence her health care seeking behaviour and that of her child. The relationship between maternal education and malaria, a leading cause of child mortality, has not garnered adequate research in Nigeria. Therefore, this study used the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition to explain the gap between maternal education and childhood malaria infection. The outcome variable was children ever had fever which was used as a proxy for occurrence of malaria, while our main explanatory variable was maternal education. The statistical methods employed were chi-square, multilevel logistic model and Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition technique. A total sample of 28,634 children aged 0-59 months wereanalysed. The overall prevalence of malaria was found to be 12.7%. The results for multilevel logistic regression revealed that there was a statistically significant association between childhood malaria infection (CMI) and maternal education. Under-five children whose mothers had higher education (OR=0.26, 95% CI: 0.05-0.48) and those in the richest wealth quintiles (OR= 0.68,95% CI: 0.51-0.85) had a lower odds of reporting CMI compared to those with no education and in the poorest quintile respectively. Also, there exist regional differential in CMI; women in the North East (OR=3.39, 95% CI: 3.25-3.52), North West (OR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.23-1.52), South East (OR=3.17, 95% CI: 3.02-3.33) and South South (OR=2.07, 95% CI: 1.92-2.23) had 3.39,1.37, 3.17and 2.07 higher odds of reporting CMI respectively. The Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition analysis revealed 0.34% gap between CMI for educated and non-educated mothers, while other differences explained by household wealth, region and age of the child were 68%, 0.06% and 1.03% respectively. Malaria infection is still highly prevalent in Nigeria. The higher prevalence of malaria among under-five children could be explained by several factors as observed in this study. Household wealth is the most contributing factor to the observed difference between maternal education and childhood malaria infection. Effort should be made in the area of women empowerment so as to broader enhance their socioeconomic status in Nigeria.